Maybe like Joseph, you have had a crystal clear dream which when interpreted lifted you above your older brothers. It was such a pleasant dream, he could not keep it to himself. He dreamt twice (Genesis 37: 6–9) as if to be assured the dream was a reality.
Have you been so pleased with your dream that you shared it with someone else? That could well be the beginning of your troubles. So hide your dreams, nurse your dreams until they mature. Here’s what Joseph’s brother had planned for him because not only did they think he was out of his senses, they thought he was puffed up, aided by their father who had pampered him with a multi-coloured jacket. (Genesis 37:3)
And so when they decided to blow out his candle so that he would cease to sell his story, his younger brother, Reuben, stepped in at the nick of time to save him.(Genesis 37:21) Otherwise they would have killed him, and his dream would have died a natural death. But no! They had helped to realise God’s plan, without realising it.
From this time on, Joseph never talked about his dream to anyone. He had learnt his lesson the hard way. Tight-lipped, he braced himself for all he was going to go through. Yet, he held his head up high, above water.
In his heart of hearts, he believed the One who revealed this dream to him would do all in His power to see it through. One hurdle after another Joseph persevered: slave, houseboy, prisoner - he held tightly to his dream. When there was hardly an iota of a chance for him to rule over his brothers like he visualised in his dreams, he never gave up. He stood steadfast and true, confident in whom he served.
With this unshakeable confidence he was able to withstand Potiphar’s wife. Imprisoned, he never wavered. God makes a way for us where there is no way, and unless we lose hope He will never leave us nor forsake us. He is true to His word; to ensure that whatever He utters will not return to Him void. (Isaiah 55:8) Glory!
Wish we had Joseph’s temperament, who in the midst of adversity, never lost hope. He knew the One in whom he believed. He would never falter; He has never arrived late on the scene either. Always on time!
Joseph reminds us a great deal about the temperament of our Lord Jesus, who in the face of adversity never faltered nor fainted, but stayed strong. Are you the King of the Jews? They asked Him. ‘Exact,’ He replied. They spat, slapped and mocked Him; that did not change a thing. He bore it all because of the ultimate price He had to pay for humankind, for lost souls like you and me.
Present-day Josephs are a rarity. They would have abandoned the trail long ago for some other venture; something they have no business doing. We are not steadfast in our beliefs. When the going gets tough, the tough should be able to get going. Nothing of the sort, we want a stress-free, trouble-free environment. A crown for which we have neither sweated nor fought, we want to receive on a platter just like that.
That was not Joseph’s lot unfortunately. Because he never took his eyes off his dream, God blessed him for his faithfulness and the dream that seemed to have drifted far from his sight became a reality. Out of the prison dungeon God brought him and put in his hand the staff of authority. Governor over Egypt, next to Pharaoh. What an honour!
The scenes begin to roll fast as famine brought Joseph’s family to Egypt looking for food. The act is played out in his very presence. His brothers bow to him like the dream had put it. “So when Joseph’s brothers arrived, they bowed down to him with their faces to the ground.” (Genesis 42:6) Who would have figured out this would be the circumstances which would have led to the unfolding of this dream?
God moves in a mysterious way, his wonders to perform. Would you have waited that long for your dream to materialise? Are you trusting God for your situation to change, the situation he prophesised over your future when he brought you into this world? Or you are striving to make it in an area where God never programmed your development?
Let us always look to the One in whom we believe; the One in whom we put our trust. For He alone is “able to do immeasurably more than all that we ask …” (Ephesians 3:20) Let us trust in Him for our future as we continue to nurture our dreams for a future life of bliss.