You will recall that, when Joseph was a boy, he had a dream that he would one day be great and that his brothers, and even his father, would bow down to him. At the time this seemed preposterous to his family and this, in fact, was part of what led his brothers to sell him as a slave. Ironically, their action was the very thing that led to the fulfilment of Joseph’s dream. Now in chapter 42 we see the fulfilment of the dream. Joseph’s brothers come, along with most people from that part of the world, to get food from Joseph in Egypt. When they come before Joseph they bow down before him in respect. And so, the vision of the sun, the moon and the stars bowing down to him was fulfilled. The amazing thing is that, in the midst of what seemed like a great convoluted detour to this fulfilment, Joseph did not lose hope in the fulfilment of his initial dream. How do we know this? Simply because one of the main things we see Joseph doing in prison, and then again before Pharaoh himself, is interpreting dreams. This was an expression of Joseph’s trust in God. Faith hangs in there without losing hope. Because Joseph did not lose faith in the dream that God gave him, he was confident enough to interpret Pharaoh’s dream when the opportunity arose. So, if you find your pathway winding through strange places do not lose hope in God’s calling, and do not assume it is the wrong way. Just keep hanging on and he will resolve things and get you to where you need to be.
Think about the course your life has taken. How much was unexpected? Thank God for leading you and ask him to help you hang in there.
Read Genesis 42
