Joseph had his great dreams, which got him into some trouble with his brothers. He also had his integrity and the fear of the Lord while in Potiphar’s house and he got into even bigger trouble because of that. At the eventful end of all the trouble, I am sure Joseph would have sat back and appreciated God for all he had gone through on the road to occupying a greatly esteemed office.
When Joseph started dreaming, he did not fully understand what the fulfilment of his dreams would be. He did not know that he was going to become next to Pharaoh in authority someday. He did not know there would be a great famine and that he would be the one to save Israel. He did not know that his two sons Ephraim and Manasseh would be the only second generation people to receive allotments like the other sons of Jacob in the Promised Land. One thing he knew for sure was that he feared the Lord and he was not going to do anything to jeopardize that relationship.
In spite of the big dreams, he followed God one step at a time or indeed one phase at a time – from Pit to Potiphar’s house, to Prison and eventually to Pharaoh’s Palace. He was faithful at each stop over on the journey. When the purpose of each phase had been accomplished, he was moved on to the next phase by God.
Abraham’s life followed a similar plot. God told him to leave his father’s house and hit the road. He didn’t ask for the final destination. He allowed God to lead him one step at a time. He just had unshakable faith that God could not lead him astray. He stayed connected to God and we know the rest of the story.
We have infallible promises in the Bible that tell us that God is committed to answering our prayers from the following verses among so many other verses:
Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. Matt 7: 7 – 8 (NLT)
You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it. Matt 21:22(NLT)
At that time you won’t need to ask me for anything. I tell you the truth, you will ask the Father directly, and he will grant your request because you use my name. You haven’t done this before. Ask, using my name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy. John 16: 23 – 24 (NLT)
This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 1John 5:14 (NIV)
God’s word is true and He has promised to bring us to that expected end. However, whatever happens between our current position and our expected end is part of the whole package. The key to getting to that expected end is staying connected to the source, like Joseph and Abraham did. For some people, it may be a very smooth journey. For others, the package may come with different kinds of pain. If you have a clear picture of your destination and the path to that destination, Congratulations! However, if you don’t understand all the things you experience on your way, just follow the Lord one step at a time… you will eventually get there. God is too faithful to fail and in the words of Nathaniel Bassey; “This God is too good o!”
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