Genesis 50:16–20 (NLT) 16 So they sent this message to Joseph: “Before your father died, he instructed us 17 to say to you: ‘Please forgive your brothers for the great wrong they did to you—for their sin in treating you so cruelly.’ So we, the servants of the God of your father, beg you to forgive our sin.” When Joseph received the message, he broke down and wept. 18 Then his brothers came and threw themselves down before Joseph. “Look, we are your slaves!” they said. 19 But Joseph replied, “Don’t be afraid of me. Am I God, that I can punish you? 20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.
Proverbs 13:12 (NLT) Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life.
Hope is not the problem. 1 Thessalonians 1:3 (NIV) We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
Delay was a constant companion in Joseph’s journey to the dream.
Proverbs 13:12 (NLT) ...BUT a dream fulfilled is a tree of life.
Isaiah 61:3 (NIV) They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.
Ezekiel 47:12 (NIV) Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear fruit, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing.”
The Process: The space between Longing and fulfillment. 22 years for the dream to be fulfilled. 13 of which Joseph spent as a slave or in prison.
1. Timing
Timing can have more to do with us than it does God.
Trusting God’s timing means He is working, and so am I.
God is good for it, He can be trusted.
2. Testing: Proverbs 13:19 (NLT) It is pleasant to see dreams come true, but fools refuse to turn from evil to attain them.
“A faith that is tested is a faith that can be trusted.”
