The Word Tested

So, after leading our team Bible study on the dreams and faith of Joseph, I decided to use it for our weekly lunch club with our students at school. As I told them the story of Joe, I had several of them act it out for us, using their spontaneous creativity and some props I had pilfered from the Ethos Dept's cupboard. I challenged these 11-13 year olds with the concept of a life dream, asking if they had a dream for their lives, and if they knew how to use it to help others. I explained that Joseph's dreams weren't only for himself, they were also for others, so that he could actually help and provide for his family in midst of crisis (thereby preserving the lineage of Jesus, but I didn't go that deep with them).

I've been chewing on the story of Joseph and his dreams for several weeks, and as I was editing my last post, I remembered that Psalm 105 speaks of Joseph and tells us a bit about his time in prison. It says that 'They hurt his feet with fetters, he was laid in irons.' I don't know much about Egyptian prisons during Joseph's time, but if I'm honest, the first mental image I have concerning his situation comes from the musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat, where the only set piece on the stage is a circle of bars with a half-dressed, very healthy and well-fed Joseph stuck in the middle...

I don't think reality looked anything like this.

...which is clearly not quite accurate, and I forget that Joseph did actually suffer during his time in prison. I forget that he was there for years. And while there, I wonder if he ever gave up hope. I wonder if discouragement and depression ever plagued him. I wonder if the darkness of his situation ever grew stronger than the hope of his promise.

It says in Psalm 105 that 'Until the time that his word came to pass, the word of the Lord tested him.' This verse has encouraged me in the past and I pray it encourages you too, especially if there's a promise from God that you're waiting for Him to bring to pass in your life. Joseph's story of slavery and imprisonment and then exaltation and destiny realized shows us that, yes God does bring fulfillment to His words, but it's very possible, and even probable, that before He does, there will be a time of testing.

Sometimes I lose faith for myself that what God has promised will actually come to pass in my life, and I think that's what this verse is about. That during the waiting period in Joseph's life, as his life circumstances went from bad to worse, the word of the Lord tested him. The promise from God tested Joseph's faith--would he continue to believe God despite his circumstances, despite what his senses showed him?

And where I always get stuck is here: what if I choose to believe the promise, but then God doesn't do it? Will that break my faith? If I believe so strongly that God has said this one thing, but then it doesn't happen in my life, can I still trust Him? Will I still believe that He is good?

As I've struggled with those thoughts over the years, I am often brought back to Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, Daniel's friends, who, when Nebuchadnezzar threw them into the fiery furnace said, 'Our God is able to deliver us, but even if He doesn't....' and they refused to give in. Their faith did not waver. That's the challenge. For me and, I think, for everyone waiting on God to deliver His promise to them. Even if He doesn't do it, will we still trust Him? Will we still believe that He is good?

I think that was Joseph's test in the waiting, while he was in the pit of life's circumstances. Even if God never promoted him, would he still trust God? And essentially it was a test to see what was the most important thing to Joseph. Was God his first priority or had the dream become his goal? Was Yahweh preeminent in his life or had the promise become his god?

What's interesting is that we know that Joseph's dream had not become either his goal or his god because it says in Genesis 42 that when his brothers came and bowed down before him, Joseph remembered his dream. He remembered it. Which means he must have forgotten it at some point. It must not have been at the front and center of his brain. It must not have been the focus of his life. And I think that's really interesting, and even challenging. Are there times when I make the promise my god? Are there times I put what I want before God? Are there times my focus is on what I hope for rather than the One who gave me that hope? Honestly, yes there are. But God is so good at helping me and He continues to bring me back to reality and help me put Him first. And oddly, the more He does that, the more He helps me give Him first place in my life, the more He also solidifies His promise in my heart, helping me to believe that He is a God of His word and His word will not fail but be fulfilled. And that is His glory.

So for anyone who is waiting on God to fulfill the promise that He has made to them, let me encourage you to put Him first in everything and leave you with this: