Genesis 41:17-57, 42:1-17; Matthew 13:24-46; Psalms 18:1-15; Proverbs 4:1-6

Today we pick back up with Joseph standing in front of Pharoah, about to interpret his two dreams. Joseph tells him that the dreams are one and the same from God, given twice because “the matter has been firmly decided by God” (41:32)–seven years of plenty, followed by seven years of famine. Pharoah immediately believes him, and decides that since Jospeh is such a wise man and God has given him this information, he will be in charge of preparing for the seven years of famine. Pharoah makes Joseph second only to himself, gives him a new name, a wife, and all of the privilege of a king; then Joseph got to work.

Everything came to pass exactly as God showed to Joseph, so when Joseph’s family learns that there is grain available to buy in Egypt, his brothers travel to buy some for their family. We end this section of reading with Joseph speaking with to brothers, they of course not recognizing him, and Joseph accusing them of being spies. He tells them he will hold most of them in prison until they bring the youngest brother as proof that they are not lying (which of course, he knows that they are not).

It says in Genesis 41 that Joseph was 30 years old when he told Pharoah what his dreams meant. He was 17 when he was sold into slavery–13 years of slavery and imprisonment before being lifted–as a foreigner–to the position of second in command over all of Egypt. This is what absolutely sends me about the story of Joseph–he was sold by his brothers into slavery, essentially removing him from his family line, because he shared a dream where they would bow down to him. He is blessed as a slave, then falsely imprisoned when he is framed. Again, he is blessed, but seemingly forgotten and left to die of this fate. But GOD KNEW what was in store since the moment He first gave Joseph the dreams at 17. Joseph was remembered because God gave him the interpretations to the dreams of Pharaoh’s servants. God was then with him to give him the interpretation of Pharoah’s dream. Joseph was immediately lifted out of his dire circumstances and made a ruler of one of the most powerful nations of the time.

I am blown away by God, and blown away by Joseph’s faithfulness. When we see dead ends and closed doors, with no way out of a situation, the Lord sees promise. When we have no idea how to move forward, the Lord is already working out the perfect, extraordinary, unimaginable solution. When there is no reason to hope, if we defy our external circumstances and choose faithfulness to God and hope in our Lord and Savior, we are choosing the extraordinary. God spoke to Joseph in dreams, but He didn’t give him an inkling of what was about to come. Joseph simply stayed faithful despite what was going on around him and his circumstances, and he was rewarded with the fulfillment of his dreams and a purpose bigger than he could have ever imagined.

When Joseph dreamed that his brothers would bow down to him, do you think he would have ever guessed it was as second in command of Egypt? Never. What the Lord had in store for Joseph was wilder than his imagination could have fathomed. After 13 years of waiting and suffering, yet staying faithful, Joseph was blessed with more than he could have hoped.

How can you hope on the Lord today? What dream or promise from God feels unimaginable or simply unobtainable? I would guess we all have one or two dreams that we simply cannot see how they could possible work out for us. But what would it look like for us to hope through our situation? What would it look like for us to lay down our expectations or our road map and simply let the Lord take control? Maybe you’ve been trying to stay faithful and hopeful, but you’ve been waiting now a long time. It may be awhile longer, but if what the Lord has in store is extraordinarily more than we could fathom, wouldn’t any amount of time be worth the wait?

We’ll get more into Joseph and his brothers tomorrow. Tonight I want us to simply sit with God in the promise that He has more in store for our lives than we can imagine. What would it look like for you to stay consistent in hope and trusting in circumstance? For me it means continuing down a path that I don’t understand why I’m on–but today I have hope of what it’s leading to, and peace with however long the journey takes.