Until the time came to fulfill his
dreams, the Lord tested Joseph’s character. (Psalms 105:19 NLT)
Often when God
gives us a dream or a promise, the fulfillment is almost always punctuated by a
significant waiting period. Why? God is taking
this opportunity to prepare us to receive the vision. Unfortunately, some never
make it through the preparatory phase.
God gave Joseph
a marvelous dream. The sun, the moon and
eleven stars bowed down before him, representing his Father, Mother, and
Brothers. Before the fulfillment of the
dream, his elevation to second in command in all of Egypt, the word of the Lord
tested him. When he told his brothers
the truth, it invoked jealousy and betrayal.
When he lived righteously, he was falsely accused and ended up in
bondage. Those he tried to help forgot
him. Hardship and disappointment litter
his path in seeing his vision become a reality. He learned the character traits needed to
rule in Egypt, such as integrity, perseverance, and ingenuity, in the school of
hard knocks.
What was the key
ingredient that enabled Joseph in the midst of such adversity to see the dream
come to reality? It must have been that
no matter what happened to him, he believed in the goodness of a sovereign God. Genesis 50:19-20 gives us some insight into
Joseph’s thought process when he said to his brothers, “God turned into good
what you mean for evil.” Whether in the
pit or prison, Joseph believed that God was still in control.
Have you given
up on your dream? Have disappointments
or ill treatment even by God’s people dampened your faith. You must remember as Joseph did, they may
have meant it for harm, but God meant it for good.
Images used with permission by Microsoft.
Ken
Barnes the author of “The Chicken Farm and Other Sacred Places” YWAM Publishing
Email: kenbarnes737@gmail.com
website: https://sites.google.com/site/kenbarnesbooksite/
Email: kenbarnes737@gmail.com
website: https://sites.google.com/site/kenbarnesbooksite/
Podcasts: http://kensblogpodcast.blogspot.com
No comments:
Post a Comment