Today, the Scripture is taken from: Genesis 37

Theme verse:

"Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and stood upright. And behold, your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf." Genesis 37: 7 (ESV)

Joseph's dreams in this chapter came from God. And they did come true in the end. However, when Joseph shared his dreams, his family didn't exactly rally around him with affirmation and support.

Some of that isn't Joseph's fault. Sibling relationships can be challenging, even in healthy families. But Joseph's family was something ... special. Think about his father Jacob's multiple wives and overt displays of favouritism. Joseph didn't grow up in an ideal environment for learning humility and unselfishness. Neither did his brothers.

Reading this chapter prompts the question, "Joseph, were you trying to antagonize your brothers, or were you that clueless?"

Pro tip: announcing your vision from God that you will one day sit in the corner office won't help you make friends in your company.

Some of us read this chapter and think about how overly confident we were in our own youth. And it's not bad to face failure and learn that we don't have all the answers. Learning humility can set the stage for God to use us in profound ways.

However, here's what is most helpful from this part of Joseph's story: God wants to work in you just as much as he wants to work through you. And sometimes, his best work in you happens through trials and difficulties... as he makes you wait, as he lets you flail around-regardless of your age.

Think about David, on the run from Saul for years before becoming king of Israel. Think about Moses, in the desert for forty years before God appeared to him in the burning bush. God seems to use what appears as sidelining, not as a sign of his displeasure, but to shape us into the image of Christ, to ready us for the work he has for us.

The author of Hebrews wrote:

Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. Hebrews 13:20-21

If you're in the middle of one of those trials and/or waiting times, your frustration may be high. But God can do significant things in your heart even when he feels most distant. He is, as Hebrews says, equipping you for doing his will and working in you what is pleasing to him.

Consider Joseph, the spoiled kid who said, "I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me" (Genesis 37:9). Contrast that with the man at the end of Genesis who said:

''Don't be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don't be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.'' Genesis 50:19-21a

Somewhere between getting the coat of many colours and his father's death, Joseph learned that it's not about him. That's a hard lesson to learn, and it seems that Joseph learned it through the time of waiting and suffering.

You have reason for hope. Even as God refined Joseph's character, God used him in powerful, life-changing ways: in Potiphar's house, in prison, as ruler of Egypt. God never left Joseph, even though Joseph probably felt abandoned at times.

If your dreams haven't come to fruition yet, if you wonder whether life is passing you by, turn your eyes upon Jesus. Ask God to equip you with everything good for doing his will, and to work in you what is pleasing to him.

That can be a scary prayer to pray, considering Joseph's life and not knowing what God will choose to do with your own story. But God is good. You can trust him.

Let’s pray.

“Lord, I commit my vocation to You as I wait on You for my dreams and desires that are yet to be fulfilled. Please teach me to wait on You, the author of my life. Weave my life into your tapestry so that I can soar with wings as eagles and enable me to arise to the spiritual destiny that You have in store for me. Shape me to be more like Jesus Christ at the workplace and equip me for my future roles. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.”

Time for Reflections

1.   What dreams do you have about how God will use you?

2.   To what extent do you think that your dream is about you?

3.   How has God used times of waiting or trial to shape you?