Until My Word Comes to Pass

Until the time that his word came to pass,
The word of the LORD tested him.

Wow, I read that verse this morning and just let it blow me over. It is Psalms 105:19 and is talking about Joseph in the Old Testament. How long he waited for that initial word to come to pass. His dreams had come to him at an innocent age and then turned his life upside down. Had it not been for his dreams he may not have been sold into slavery, lied about and thrown into prison, abused and forgotten. His dreams seem to have betrayed him.

His mistakes were few, yet his life was seemingly full of consequences. In my memory of the story, and I’ve heard it told and re-told since my early childhood. He bragged to his brothers about his dream. They didn’t like being told that they would bow down to him someday and taught the boy a lesson in respect. They threw him in a pit and left him to die. Seeing some Ishmaelite traders, they changed their minds and sold him out of their lives, telling their father that he had been killed by a wild animal. Joseph must have been disheartened but he was not defeated. Was it his dream that kept him going? There is no mention of what his motivation was, but he certainly had motivation. The Ishmaelites traded him to Potiphar. He worked hard. He did not remain a slave of no account, he proved himself worthy of honor by showing integrity and character so obvious he ascended to living and working in Potiphar’s home. There he was given responsibility and favor and had access to everything within the home, including Potiphar’s wife. The Bible doesn’t say that he was tempted by her, but she gave him every opportunity to take advantage of his position and eventually lied about him, saying he had tried to assault her. This landed him in prison where he again rose to the highest levels of responsibility overseeing other prisoners and absolute freedom within the confines of the prison as the jailers most trusted detainee. Finally his big break came…sort of. He interpreted two dreams which both came true. One of these brought about a favorable result for Pharaoh’s cupbearer and in just a few days time he was restored to his office in service to Pharaoh the most powerful man in Egypt. Joseph requested that he speak to Pharaoh about Joseph in hopes of being released from his undeserved confinement. The cupbearer however, forgot him for two full years. How disheartening. Pharaoh had a dream though, that brought about Joseph’s release. The cupbearer remembered his own life changing dream and imprisoned interpreter and spoke to Pharaoh on Joseph’s behalf. Joseph was called to Pharaoh, interpreted the dream and in no time at all was promoted from former slave/convict to Pharaoh’s right hand man. Some years following his promotion and subsequent leadership in project “save the world from famine,” he had the opportunity to see his brothers again. The same brothers who had sold him into slavery and assumed him to be dead. The same brothers who had scoffed at his dreams and ridiculed him for even imagining that they would bow down to him. These brothers came to Egypt to get food, and without knowing who he was, they bowed at his feet to make their request. Dream fulfilled.

What a journey though. Right? I mean I cannot imagine the thought processes that must have plagued Joseph. How did I get here? That had to come up. He was his father’s favorite son, you don’t go from being the favorite son to prison without doing something wrong…right? The only thing I can see that he did wrong was brag about his dream. But…if he hadn’t bragged about his dream, would his dream have come true? Argh. So, why?

The Psalmist gives me a better answer to why than I’ve ever heard elsewhere. Leave it to the Bible to have answers. Until the time the word came to pass, the word tested him.

Having a dream, a vision, a destiny, a Word from God is GREAT, it’s integral to living a life of purpose and fulfillment, but it’s not a ticket to success. What it is, is a beginning of a journey. You don’t get muscles by being told you have a great frame to put them on. You have to build them. You don’t lose weight by buying skinny clothes, you have to work toward the goal, eat right and exercise. In the same way, you don’t fulfill a calling by receiving a Word from God that says you will be a great preacher, teacher, missionary, evangelist, Sunday school teacher, care group leader, musician or usher. You HAVE to prove that calling by being obedient to your current commission.

Joseph was called to be a great and respected leader in Egypt who would save the lives of thousands of people. You know what his commission was? It was to go check on his brothers (Gen. 37:14). That’s it. That was the beginning of the fulfillment of his dream. He obeyed his father and went, he even went farther than he was sent. His brothers were not in the place his father thought they were and when he realized this, he did not go back to his father and say…”well, they weren’t there.” He kept going until he found them. I looked this up and the total distance Joseph walked was 75 miles. That’s a lot of walking. Did he think that walking to Dothan would fulfill him? I doubt it, I think that even in this he was being tested by the dream he had received. Will you serve the family that will bow down to you in this humble way, traveling on foot to check on brothers who dislike you and bring a report back to your aging father? Are you willing to do this without fanfare and beyond discouragement?

His commission continued to change with his circumstances. As a slave it was to be the best slave Potiphar had ever had. As an inmate it was to be the best prisoner ever behind bars. Finally his commission to lead Egypt and the world around them, revealed to everyone that his calling was truly from God, it had merit and was not intended to put them down or damage their egos, but to bring about their salvation.

I could go on and on about the parallels and lessons in Joseph’s story, but what I really want to focus on is that he received the word. Do you know your calling? Do you know what God has in mind for you. I’m going to take a little bit of a risk here (at least in my own mind it’s a risk) and tell you that God told me years ago that He wants me to speak to women. I don’t know if that means little groups of women from our Sunday school class, women who read my blog or in a large conference someday. I do know that no calling comes without testing and every distance I am willing to walk will be of use to God fulfilling His destiny for me and His kingdom. The word of the Lord tested Joseph. He did not run from that testing, it’s obvious that he was human and wanted out of his painful circumstances, but you cannot achieve the kind of favor he achieved by complaining and whining about your circumstances.

Joseph knew himself to be the man God had showed him years before. A man that others would bow down to, he lived as that man in the field, in the pit, bound in shackles, as a slave, in prison and finally as the most powerful man in Egypt. He was ALWAYS that same powerful and respectable man, he just didn’t always have the title to go with it.

You can be (right now) the person that God has destined you to be, getting the title, recognition or position is secondary. Allow the Word, dream or vision to test you as it did Joseph. But most importantly, KNOW what He has called you to be. Seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness so that His Word can manifest itself in the destiny He has for you. He has a place of fulfillment for you, but you must know His voice and His calling in order to get there. That testing you experience will make SO MUCH more sense, and be SO MUCH easier to bear if you have a vision and a dream to apply the results to.