I’m sure many of us have experienced at least one situation where things didn't go as planned. Maybe you planned a whole trip and ended up taking a detour and had some setbacks. Maybe you went into a meeting and what you thought was going to smooth things over might've not been resolved. Maybe you bought something and the package you got didn’t match the picture online. All those things will sometimes make you go, “well that’s not what I expected.” But I’m here talking about when you know something in your spirit, and the journey there isn’t what you expected and might even seem to keep you farther away from that end goal.
Joseph Dreams of Greatness...
Referenced Scriptures: Genesis 37-45
This year I started a 365 day Bible reading plan with my best friend. We just finished reading about Joseph’s story in Genesis and I remember saying that it must’ve been interesting to have had the dreams he had and go through what he went through. Joseph had a lot of brothers, but he was his dad’s favorite, which bothered his siblings. One day he had a dream and told his brothers about how they essentially bowed down to him metaphorically through the objects in his dream. Not long after that happens, his dad (Jacob) gives him this beautiful coat. His brothers were not having it, so one day they plotted to kill him. But one of them had a slight moral compass and said to not kill him so instead, they sold him to be a slave and told his dad he died.
At one point, he worked for a man named Potiphar. However, Potiphar's wife accused Joseph of things he never did, and as a result, he ended up in prison. A cupbearer and a baker in the prison had dreams that Joseph interpreted. The cupbearer would get to return to his position, and the baker was going to die. Low and behold, it actually happened. Joseph asked the cupbearer something though—he asked that when he returns to his position to not forget about him. The cupbearer didn’t forget, and down the line of the story, Pharaoh had a dream that no one could interpret, but the cupbearer remembered and mentioned Joseph.
Next thing you know, Joseph is interpreting the dream and was made second in command. The dreams pharaoh had ended up happening, which had to do with seven prosperous and good years and the other seven being ones of famine that were not good. Since Joseph was second in command, he had the people save ⅕ of the grain so that when the seven years of famine came, they would still have something to eat. This famine happened all the way out where Joseph's brothers and dad were, so his brothers came out to ask for food and didn't even recognize him. But the dream Joseph had way back, in the beginning, had come to pass, and his family ended up being restored and moving to land that Pharaoh told Joseph they could have.
Be honest with yourself...
I don’t know about you, but if I was Joseph, I would’ve been super shocked. It’s like having that one order and it takes a while to get in your mailbox, but you know it's coming. You put it in the shopping cart, paid for it, and it's been processed and shipped, but it takes an extra few weeks to get to your door... but you know it’s supposed to be there. I’ve often wondered what it was like to be Joseph in these situations. But something to take notice of is that you don’t hear of him complaining once; you don’t see him arguing with God about why what he had dreamed about hadn’t come to pass yet with his fists in the air; you don’t see him holding a grudge with his brothers. Instead, you see him doing the right thing, remaining honest and faithful to his duties and where he was at; you see him forgiving his brothers and embracing them; you see him being patient.
I will be the first one to say that in seasons where things aren’t quite at the spot I’ve been anticipating or expecting, I haven’t been the most patient at times. I can identify with Joseph’s story, but I can’t say I’ve been as patient as he has been. When I’ve been in the situations life has handed me, I have been extremely confused. But there’s a lesson to be learned in Joseph’s actions. When things aren’t what you expect, it doesn’t mean that what the Lord spoke won’t necessarily happen, but there are processes. In the same way, before you get to gold in a refining process, you have to burn it and remove impurities.
“Each one’s work will be clearly shown [for what it is]; for the day [of judgment] will disclose it, because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality and character and worth of each person’s work.” - 1 Corinthians 3:13 AMP
“So because our hope is set on what is yet to be seen, we patiently keep on waiting for its fulfillment.” - Romans 8:25 TPT
It Shall Come to Pass!
So I’m just here reminding you that just because things don't look the way you expected, doesn't mean it won't get there. Keep being patient and put your faith out there for what you ARE expecting—because, at the end of the day, a part of faith is receiving things in your spirit and not letting anything in front of you waver that. I had to get in my car this week and tell the Lord that yes, things don’t make sense or add up right now, but I know that even when things don’t make sense in the natural, I know what you told me, I know what’s in my spirit, and it’ll all come to pass. I may not get there the way I expected, but I know it will come because “God is not a man that He should lie” (Numbers 23:19). Joseph probably didn’t expect his brothers to sell him or end up in jail. However, we also see God stepping in and changing the situation, and what the Lord spoke to Joseph in that dream DID come to pass. Everything might not be what it seems, but with the Lord, it is always better than whatever you might try to muster up.
It might not be what you expected, but it is BETTER. So do yourself a favor, and find yourself a scripture and stand on it. Let it be your reminder every day until you see things come to pass, and even after things come to pass, that verse becomes a part of your testimony! Leave it wherever you need to. My best friend sets reminders on my phone with scriptures that go off every morning to remind me that the things I’m believing for are coming to pass. I leave sticky notes on my walls to remind myself of what I’m believing for, and the things I know the Lord spoke to me. Don’t ever get discouraged, be patient, and trust the Lord, because no matter what, His plan for your life will succeed. He did it for Joseph, so why would that exclude you? Joseph had a dream from the Lord, went through the unimaginable, and guess what? The dream the Lord gave him STILL CAME TO PASS!
