Waiting. We all do it at one time or another. We wait in line. We wait for our kids to finish practice. For the end of school. We wait for vacation. For a new job or promotion or dream.
Waiting can be fun. But it can be frustrating.
Wait. It means to stay where you are or delay action until a particular time or until something else happens.
The word wait can also indicate that someone is eagerly impatient to do something or for something to happen.
When you have to wait a long time, you can tend to want to make something happen. Well….I do anyway. Then I remember Ishmael and think, “Nah. I’ll wait and let God do it.” But that’s WAY easier said than done.
Abraham waited. Joseph waited. David waited.
Even Jesus waited. Remember when He stayed behind in Jerusalem when He was 12 teaching in the synagogue? His parents lost Him and had to go back 3 days later to find Him. When they finally found Him and told them how worried they’d been, He responded, “Don’t you know I have to be about my Father’s business?”
At 12 He wanted to get started. But He turned around and went home with His parents and submitted Himself to them for another 18 years. Waiting.
Sometimes understanding why you’re waiting can help. And this helped me a lot today…
He (God) called for a famine on the land of Canaan,
cutting off its food supply.
Then he sent someone to Egypt ahead of them—
Joseph, who was sold as a slave.
They bruised his feet with fetters
and placed his neck in an iron collar.
Until the time came to fulfill his dreams,
the Lord tested Joseph’s character.
Then Pharaoh sent for him and set him free;
the ruler of the nation opened his prison door. (Psalm 105:16-20)
“Until the time came to fulfill his dreams, the Lord tested Joseph’s character. THEN…”
Let’s pause here and think about that for a sec.
When did Pharaoh open his prison door? When did the time come for his dreams to be fulfilled?
AFTER the Lord tested his character.
And where did the Lord test his character?
- In the pit
- In slavery
- In prison
The responsibility of Joseph’s dream was huge. HUGE! To become second in command of all of Egypt – of the greatest ruling power in the world!
HUGE!!!
And God prepped him for that through the pit and through slavery and in prison.
God put him in these places on purpose. And He kept him in these places on purpose.
Joseph’s promotion, the fulfilling of the dream he had so many years earlier, was not just God bringing something good from a bad situation. Prison was God’s Plan A for Joseph.
It was his Divine Appointment.
It was his Kingdom Connection.
Prison was Joseph being in the right place at the right time.
–Selah—
When I think of divine appointments, kingdom connections, and being in the right place at the right time, prison is not in the forefront of my mind. I think of goosebumps and happy places.
In fact, when I’m in a “prison” or a tight place, the first thing I wonder is, “Where did I miss it? What did I do wrong?”
But God had him there on purpose and the purpose was to test his character. To prune him. To get him ready to handle the responsibility that would come with the fulfillment of the dream.
We usually want to run from those tight places. From prison. But what we really need to do is press into it. Press into Him. Let it refine us. Let it be the sandpaper that smooths out all the rough edges.
We need to let it test our character and build our intimacy and relationship with God. That’s rarely fun, but do we just want fun or do we want to be ready to run? Do we want to finish our race and hear well done?
And we need to always remember to hold on to Him through the tight places. They are temporary. Thank God!
Just like Joseph, the time will come for our dream to be fulfilled. The question is – will we be ready when it comes?
Don’t run from tests and hardships, brothers and sisters. As difficult as they are, you will ultimately find joy in them; if you embrace them, your faith will blossom under pressure and teach you true patience as you endure. And true patience brought on by endurance will equip you to complete the long journey and cross the finish line—mature, complete, and wanting nothing. (James 1:2-4 Voice)