Psalm 105:19 Until the time that his word [of prophecy regarding his brothers] came true, The word of the Lord tested and refined him.
An average sized cake takes about 30 minutes to cook. If we try to speed up the cooking time and increase the temperature the crust of the cake will burn and the inside of the cake will remain uncooked. Likewise, if we try to ice it or cut the cake before it cools down it will create breakage and spoil the smooth finish. “Waiting” for the cake to cook and “waiting” for it to cool down are essential steps of the process.
Joseph had profound visions about his future. He was anointed to become an influential leader over his household. However, the prophecy that was spoken over him as a teenager came to fruition only when he was a young adult at the age of 30 years. For over a decade the Lord tested and refined him. While Joseph was ‘waiting’ in the miserable Egyptian prison without any hope of escape, God was preparing the stage for his elevation. God positioned Joseph in the dark dungeon only to bring him before the Pharaoh at the right time. It was God who made the cupbearer forget to honour Joseph for two years and it was the Lord who reminded the same forgetful cupbearer about Joseph’s gift to interpret dreams after two years. Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh… Now a young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams, and he interpreted them for us, giving each man the interpretation of his dream (Genesis 41:9a&12). God never gets the timing wrong. Joseph was brought out of the prison to interpret the Pharaoh’s dream that promoted him as the Prime Minister of Egypt.
Waiting is part of the process:
1. Faith: Fervent faith makes us faithful. Our reward is measured by our faithfulness in the dark valley and dreadful dungeons of life. Waiting for a promise is part of God’s preparation process to fortify our faith and solidify our trust in Him. Joseph had absolutely no signs of his vision coming to fruition, yet, he was not discouraged, depressed or distressed. He continued to use his gift of interpretation even when his own vision had not been fulfilled.
2. Fret: Fear is a natural emotion but how we manage it will build our faith or break it. When qualm curdles our stomach, we must speak the Word of God boldly. Repeat the promise over and over again until it overrides your awful anxiety. The longer we take to overcome fear, the longer will be the waiting time.
3. Fulfillment: See the fulfillment of God’s promise while you are waiting. Faith is to speak, see and celebrate the victory even before the fulfillment. Vision of the future, through the lens of God’s promise, will keep us joyful and cheerful while we are waiting.
Waiting is God’s preparation ground before the fulfillment of His promise.
Genesis 41:16 “I cannot do it,” Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.”
Prayer: Heavenly Father, please give me the tenacity to remain joyful and cheerful while I am waiting for You to fulfill Your promises. Amen.
Leave a Reply