Divine Lifting: God Raises His People

Psalm 113:7-8
by Pastor Esther Bartels
September 13, 2026
~55 min message Psalm 113:7-8

In this message, the preacher explores God’s power to lift His people from lowly places into positions of honor, drawing on the stories of Joseph’s rise from prison to palace and the healing at the pool of Bethesda. Congregants are encouraged not to despise small beginnings, to trust God’s timing, and to believe that no matter how long a struggle has lasted, God can bring sudden breakthrough and restoration. The sermon closes with a powerful time of prayer declaring freedom from long-standing bondages over families, finances, and future generations.

Overview

Preached as part two of a series titled "Divine Lifting," this message declares that God is actively in the business of raising His people from lowly, dust-bound circumstances to positions of honor. Anchored in Psalm 113:7-8, the sermon weaves the stories of Joseph (Genesis 41) and the invalid at the Pool of Bethesda (John 5) to show that no matter how long a person has suffered — in poverty, sickness, or bondage — God can suddenly and gradually lift, reposition, and restore them for His glory.

Key Scripture Passages

  • Psalm 113:7-8 — The central text: God "raises the poor out of the dust and lifts the needy out of the ash heap, that He may seat him with princes."
  • Genesis 41:41 — Pharaoh sets Joseph over all the land of Egypt, the climax of his journey from pit to prison to palace.
  • Genesis 3:14 (referenced) — The serpent is cursed to "eat dust," used as the basis for the sermon's dust/food imagery for those living outside of Christ.
  • Isaiah 60:22 — "A little one shall become a thousand... I, the Lord, will hasten it in its time," applied to small beginnings that God multiplies.
  • John 5:1-9 — Jesus heals the man at the Pool of Bethesda who had been an invalid for 38 years, illustrating sudden deliverance after long waiting.
  • Psalm 91 (referenced) — "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High... under the shadow of the Almighty," cited as the believer's protected position once lifted out of the enemy's reach.
  • Proverbs 18:10 (referenced, paraphrased as "the name of the Lord is a strong tower") — Trusting God's name rather than "chariots and horses" (cf. Psalm 20:7).
  • 1 Samuel 15 (referenced) — Saul's disobedience at Gilgal in rushing ahead of God's instruction, used as a warning against impatience.
  • Joel 2:25 (referenced) — Restoring "the years the locust has eaten," applied to God's restorative lifting.

Sermon Outline

  1. God's Nature as the Lifter of His People
    • The church culture should celebrate others being "lifted" rather than harbor jealousy or comfort with poverty.
    • Testimonies given: formerly homeless members now housed; a woman with high-school-level education now a nurse; a young woman with seizures ("Azure") now a college graduate.
  2. Psalm 113:7-8 — From Dust to Princes
    • Connects the "dust" of the psalm to the curse on the serpent in Eden (Genesis 3:14): those outside of Christ remain vulnerable, becoming "food for the devil."
    • Receiving Christ moves a person into "the secret place of the Most High" (Psalm 91), a position the enemy cannot touch.
  3. Joseph — A Case Study in Divine Lifting (Genesis 41:41)
    • Joseph's dream, betrayal by his own household, false accusation, and imprisonment.
    • Despite every setback, God moved him from prison to palace "within 24 hours" once His timing arrived — proof that God can change destiny suddenly.
    • Application: trust God's name and promises rather than worldly securities (government, finances).
  4. Being "Raised," Not Just Lifted — Isaiah 60:22
    • Being raised involves correction and shaping of character, not merely elevation of circumstance.
    • Illustration of children who are "raised" (well-formed) versus those who are not, showing that God's raising process forms integrity and humility.
    • Do not despise small beginnings — small things (bank accounts, businesses, families) can multiply into "a thousand" and "a strong nation" in God's timing.
    • Testimony of a pastor who began earning $10/hour and now runs a daycare paying employees $18/hour.
  5. The Necessity of Patience in the Process
    • Illustration of farming (tilling, watering, weeding) before the harvest appears.
    • Warning against rushing ahead of God, illustrated by King Saul's disobedience (1 Samuel 15).
    • Testimony of a woman rebuilding her life and family after abandonment ("the God of new beginnings").
  6. The Pool of Bethesda — Sudden Deliverance After Long Waiting (John 5:1-9)
    • The setting: many sick, blind, lame, and paralyzed people waiting at the pool for the stirring of the water.
    • The man had been afflicted 38 years; Jesus already knew the full extent of his condition before asking, "Do you want to be made well?"
    • The man's answer reveals a lack of a "divine helper" — paralleled to the believer's Helper, the Holy Spirit.
    • Jesus commands, "Rise, take up your bed and walk," and the man is healed immediately, on the Sabbath — showing Jesus operates by kingdom authority, not religious restriction.
  7. Corporate Declaration and Prayer of Breakthrough
    • Congregational decrees against long-standing bondages (financial, marital, health, generational, witchcraft, professional).
    • Intercession for children and future generations, invoking "the generation of the righteous shall be delivered."
    • Closing prophetic declarations of divine lifting over every area of life — family, ministry, business, finances.

Theological Insights

  • Divine reversal as a biblical motif — Psalm 113 echoes the Song of Hannah (1 Samuel 2:8) and the Magnificat (Luke 1:52), where God consistently exalts the lowly and humbles the proud.
  • Positional theology in Christ — the sermon frames salvation not merely as forgiveness but as a change of position (from "dust" to "seated with princes"), echoing Ephesians 2:6, that believers are raised and seated with Christ in heavenly places.
  • The curse-and-redemption contrast — the serpent's judgment to "eat dust" (Genesis 3:14) is used typologically: remaining in sin keeps a person within the enemy's domain, while union with Christ removes one from that jurisdiction (Colossians 1:13).
  • Sanctification as part of exaltation — being "raised" by God is presented as a refining process, not instant elevation; this aligns with Hebrews 12:10-11 on discipline that yields righteousness.
  • Sovereign timing versus human striving — Isaiah 60:22 ("I the Lord will hasten it in its time") and the Joseph narrative both emphasize God's providence (Romans 8:28) working even through betrayal, delay, and injustice.
  • The danger of partial obedience — Saul's disobedience at Gilgal (1 Samuel 15) is invoked as a caution that rushing ahead of God's instructions, even with good intentions, forfeits blessing.
  • Christ's compassionate omniscience — in John 5, Jesus' foreknowledge of the man's 38-year condition reflects a broader biblical theme that God is intimately aware of suffering before it is even voiced (Psalm 139:1-4).
  • The Holy Spirit as the "Helper" who fills the gap — drawing on John 14:16-18, the sermon reinterprets the lame man's lack of "a man to help" as being resolved in the New Covenant by the indwelling Holy Spirit.

Word & Context Study

  • "Dust" / "ash heap" (Psalm 113:7) — In Hebrew, ʿāp̄ār ("dust") and ʾašpōṯ ("ash heap" or "dunghill") both depict the lowest, most degraded social status in the ancient Near East — the place of beggars and outcasts sitting outside the city gate. The imagery intensifies the scale of the reversal: from society's discard pile to a seat among nobility.
  • Bethesda — Meaning "house of mercy" or "house of grace" in Hebrew, the pool near Jerusalem's Sheep Gate had five covered porches, likely built as a healing shrine; archaeological excavations have identified a pool matching this description near St. Anne's Church in Jerusalem, lending historical credibility to John's Gospel account.
  • Sheep Gate — One of Jerusalem's ancient gates (mentioned in Nehemiah 3:1) near the temple, associated with bringing sacrificial animals into the city — an apt location for a place associated with healing and restoration.
  • Joseph's transition ("prison to palace") — In Genesis 41:14, Joseph is brought "hastily" from the dungeon (Hebrew bôr, "pit" or "cistern") and shaved and changed his garments before appearing before Pharaoh — a cultural detail underscoring the completeness of his change in status, mirrored in the sermon's language of being lifted "within 24 hours."

Application

  • Cultivate a church or community culture that celebrates others' progress and breakthroughs rather than envying them.
  • Recognize small beginnings — in finances, business, or family — as seeds God intends to multiply; don't despise or hide where you started.
  • Respond to Christ's question "Do you want to be made well?" with active faith expressed in behavior, not just words.
  • Practice patience during seasons when God seems silent, trusting that He is still working things together for good.
  • Invite God's shaping and correction, not just elevation — ask Him to remove pride and character flaws as part of being "raised."
  • Intercede for your children and future generations, believing for their deliverance and protection.
  • Declare and pray Scripture (e.g., Psalm 113:7-8, Isaiah 60:22) over your circumstances as an act of faith.

Reflection & Discussion Questions

  1. In what ways might your own environment (family, workplace, church) discourage others from being "lifted"? How can you become a place that celebrates others' growth?
  2. The sermon connects Genesis 3:14 (the serpent eating dust) with living outside of Christ. How does understanding your position "in Christ" change the way you respond to attacks or setbacks?
  3. Joseph experienced betrayal, false accusation, and years of delay before his elevation. Which part of his story most resonates with a season you have walked through, and why?
  4. The sermon distinguishes between being merely "lifted" and being "raised" (shaped and corrected). Where in your life might God be more interested in forming your character than simply changing your circumstances?
  5. Jesus asked the lame man, "Do you want to be made well?" Why might Christ ask a question whose answer seems obvious? What does your day-to-day behavior reveal about your true desire for change?
  6. What is a "38-year" situation in your own life or family — something long-standing you have been waiting on God to resolve? How does this sermon encourage you to pray about it differently?

Conclusion

The central call of this message is simple but weighty: God is not a distant observer of human struggle but the active Lifter who takes people from the dust of poverty, sickness, and bondage and seats them among princes. Whether through the sudden reversal of Joseph's prison-to-palace story or the immediate healing of a man crippled for 38 years, the sermon urges believers to trust God's timing, submit to His shaping process, and boldly declare that their season of remaining in the dust is over — believing that the same God who lifted others will surely lift them too.

Study guide generated from this sermon · Grace International Ministry Apostolic
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