God Takes Care of Me (First Steps Devotions) (3 page)

Soon the brothers saw a group of men traveling on camels.
They sold Joseph to the men. They took Joseph with them to Egypt, a land far
away.

God kept Joseph safe. His brothers wanted to kill him. But
God had a better plan.

Describe a time in your life when God turned something bad
into something good.

Thank God for working His plan in your life.

Dear God, thank You for always taking care of me. Sometimes
I think things are bad, but in Your plan they are really good. Help me to trust
You more.

Have you ever been punished for something you did not do?
What happened?

How did you feel?

Joseph was in Egypt, and God watched over him. He became a
slave for Potiphar, a very important man.

One day Potiphar’s wife became angry with Joseph. She made
up a story about Joseph to get him in trouble. Joseph ended up in prison.

In prison Joseph made two new friends. One friend had been
the king’s chief cook. The other friend had been me king’s personal servant.
One night both men had dreams. They did not know what the dreams meant.

“Tell me what you dreamed,” Joseph said to them. So they
told Joseph their dreams. Then God gave Joseph the knowledge to tell the men
what their dreams meant.

Joseph was in prison for something he did not do. While in
prison, he was able to help the chief cook and the king’s servant with their
problems. Joseph loved God. And God let him help others.

Can you think of a time something happened to you that
seemed bad but turned into something good?

What happened?

Were you able to help someone else? Why?

Dear God, thank You for taking such good care of me. Help me
to always trust You, even when things look bad. I know You are still watching
over me.

What do you do when you are having a bad day?

What is the best way to turn a bad day into a good day?

Joseph was in prison in Egypt. There Joseph was able to help
the king’s servant and the king’s chief cook. Later Pharaoh, the king of Egypt,
had a dream he did not understand.

The servant remembered Joseph. “When we told him our
dreams,” he said to Pharaoh, “he explained what each of them meant.”

So Pharaoh took Joseph out of prison. Joseph explained
Pharaoh’s dream. He also told Pharaoh what to do about it.

“No one could possibly handle this better than Joseph,”
Pharaoh declared. Then he turned to Joseph. “You are now governor of all
Egypt!” Pharaoh said.

God took Joseph from being a slave to governing the entire
country. God took good care of him!

Have you ever had a bad day turn into a good day?

What happened?

How did God make the day become a good day?

Dear God, sometimes I have a bad day. Help me to trust You
during those days and not become discouraged.

When was the last time you were alone?

Could you have taken care of yourself if something had
happened?

Were you scared? Why? Why not?

The Egyptians were worried. The Israelites were having lots
of children. Soon there would be more Israelites than Egyptians. The Egyptians
were afraid the Israelites would take control of the land.

So the Egyptians made a rule. No more Israelite baby boys
could be born. But one day an Israelite baby boy was born. His mother loved him
very much. She did not tell the Egyptians about her baby. She hid him in her
house.

When the mother could not hide her baby any longer, she had
an idea. She placed him in a basket.

The baby’s mother took him down to the river. She trusted in
God. She knew God would take care of him.

God kept watch over her baby. Her baby would be named Moses.
He would lead the Israelites out of Egypt.

Name a time you were scared and alone.

What did you do?

Did you know God was watching over you?

How did you know?

Dear God, thank You for always watching over me. Thank You
for watching over everyone. Help me not to be scared. Help me to know that You
are watching over me.

What do you like most about your family?”

What do you like most about your home?

Miriam watched the basket as it floated on the river. Her
baby brother was in that basket. Her mother had put him in the basket to hide
him from the Egyptians. Soon the daughter of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, came to
the river. She saw the baby floating in die basket. The princess said that he
was one of the Israelites’ children.

Miriam went to get her mother. The princess asked Miriam’s
mother to take care of the baby for her. When die baby got older, he went to
live with Pharaoh’s daughter. The princess named him Moses. Moses grew up in
the palace of the king of Egypt. He had me best of everything. God was
preparing Moses. God was getting him ready to be a great leader.

How does your family help you?

How can you help your family?

What are you learning now that will help when you are an
adult?

Dear God, thank You for giving me a good home and family.
Help me to appreciate them more.

Have you ever been afraid that someone would try to hurt
you?

What did you do about it?

When Moses was a baby, God kept him safe in a basket on the
river. He let Moses grow up as the son to the Egyptian king’s daughter. But
Moses knew he was an Israelite. He was one of God’s people.

The Israelites were the slaves of the Egyptians. One day
Moses saw an Egyptian hit an Israelite. Moses got so mad that he killed the
Egyptian.

Moses did not think anyone saw him do that. But he was
wrong. Soon the king of Egypt heard what Moses had done. He wanted to kill
Moses, so Moses ran for his life.

Moses ran to the land of Midian. He sat down at a well to
rest. There he helped some women take care of their father’s sheep.

Moses began working with the women’s father, Jethro. He even
married Jethro’s daughter, Zipporah. God watched over Moses. He kept him
safe—again.

Has God ever protected you from someone who tried to hurt
you?

What happened?

Dear God, help me to know that You will always take care of
me. Help me to trust You more.

Have you ever thought God did not answer your prayers? Why?

Have you ever thought God did not hear your prayers? Why?

The Israelites were God’s people. God had promised them that
they would live in a great land. But they were not in a great land. They were
slaves in Egypt. They cried out to God. And God heard them.