Three weeks ago I suffered a ruptured biceps tendon. It did not hurt much at the time, but it required surgery and now a six week recovery. I have learned much during this time.
I learned the importance of receiving. I am usually the one to take care of others in my family and even in the church. But for the first time I am the one needing help tying my shoes, getting dressed and driving the car. Being on the receiving end of things makes me appreciate the love shown by those who give generously. It also makes me realize how difficult it is to be the recipient and not the giver.
I’ve learned to have more sympathy for those whose limitations are more severe than mine, especially those with permanent disabilities. I am more sympathetic toward those who have the knowledge and desire to perform difficult tasks, but whose bodies will not allow them to do those things. Our older members go through this difficult transition and I have learned to a small degree how difficult this must be.
I have learned that growing old is not to be feared. One day I will be caring for my wife, or she will be caring for me. I learned during the past few weeks that this can be a beautiful thing! Kim and I have enjoyed each other’s company, and we laughed that this was a foretaste of what lie ahead for us in our future, at a time of God’s choosing. We don’t fear this. It is a part of God’s plan for our lives and it can be a great demonstration of the love between a husband and wife.
I’ve learned that encouragement means a lot! I’m not a “Hallmark” guy. I don’t like paying for greeting cards and I lament the so-called “Hallmark” holidays. But I’ve have been greatly encouraged by the dozens of cards and hundreds of Facebook posts, text messages and phone calls from so many friends and loved ones. It brought great encouragement and I realize how important that encouragement is for someone recovering from an illness or injury.
So, I am thankful for all that the Lord has brought me through. I can say with the Psalmist,"It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees." Psalm 119:71
Today we continue our Study in the life of JOSEPH
There are some familiar themes in his story. Today we read about:
Another cloak (Potiphar’s sife uses Joseph’s cloak to falsely accuse him)
Another Imprisonment (thrown into Pharoah’s Prison)
Another dream
Baker and Cup Bearer
Another Betrayal
Betrayed by his brothers
Falsely accused by Potiphars wife
Forgotten by the cup bearer
This time, Joseph is in Pharoah’s prison. His punishment there is unjust, and the Lord uses him to interpret the dreams of Pharaoh’s cup-bearer and baker.
Genesis 40:12–15 "“This is what it means,” Joseph said to him. “The three branches are three days. " "Within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your position, and you will put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand, just as you used to do when you were his cupbearer. " "But when all goes well with you, remember me and show me kindness; mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this prison. " "For I was forcibly carried off from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing to deserve being put in a dungeon.”"
Can you see Joseph waiting?
When he interpreted the dreams of Pharaoh’s officials, he thought that this would be his deliverance. Imagine Joseph thinking that he would finally be delivered! I imagine that he was planning all of the things that he would do once he was freed from his injustice. But God had other plans. Although the injustice against him was real, God allowed Joseph to remain in prison another two years!
Genesis 41:1 "When two full years had passed, Pharaoh had a dream: He was standing by the Nile,"
We are accustomed to believe that “Blessing follows Obedience.” As a general rule, this is normally how things work. God promises to bless us if we obey Him.
Proverbs 2:21–22 "For the upright will live in the land, and the blameless will remain in it; " "but the wicked will be cut off from the land, and the unfaithful will be torn from it."
Psalm 128:1–2 "Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in his ways. " "You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours."
But there are times when it seems that God has forgotten about us, and that our obedience is followed by silence from heaven.
What do we do when God says WAIT?
It is hard to wait
- wait in line
- wait to get old enough to drive
- wait for something to arrive in the mail
Sometimes we wait for the wrong things
- waiting for revenge
- waiting for luck to change
- waiting for their spouse to change
God is working while we are Waiting
- NO Accident that Joseph was in Potiphar’s house.
39:1 “one of Pharoah’s officials”
40:3 Joseph’s prison is said to be “in the house of the captain of the guard”
- NO Accident that Joseph was falsely accused
- NO Accident that Joseph was put in prison. 39:20 “where the kings prisoners were confined”
- No Accident that the Baker and Cup bearer were also put there (40:1-3)
- No Accident that they both had dreams on the same night (40:5)
God was working
God’s plan is working While we wait
- God was preparing to USE Joseph
- God was preparing to save Jacob and the 11 other sons
- God was writing a lesson for us
Calvin interpreted Joseph’s two years as a lesson “that nothing is more improper, than to prescribe the time in which God shall help us; since he purposely, for a long season, keeps his own people in anxious suspense, that by this very experiment, they may truly know what it is to trust Him” (Comm., 312).
K. A. Mathews, Genesis 11:27–50:26, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2005).
Things we learn only by waiting
You see, the Lord has lessons to teach us that can only be learned by waiting.
- Waiting reveals what we really value.
- Waiting shows us areas of vulnerability.
- Waiting exposes the areas of our lives that we refuse to turn over to God.
- Waiting causes us to stop relying on ourselves and to fully rely on the Lord.
Life might be more pleasant without the wait, but there are some things in life we must learn while in line at the school of waiting.
God may Lead In Difficult Path’s
Isaiah 50:10 "Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the word of his servant? Let him who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God."
Paul Understood: (to the churches at the end of 1st miss journey) Acts 14:22 "strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said."
Lamentations 3:24–26 "I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” " "The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; " "it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord."
(Also 3:27-33)
G. Campbell Morgan:
Waiting for God is not laziness. Waiting for God is not going to sleep. Waiting for God is not the abandonment of effort. Waiting for God means, first, activity under command; second, readiness for any new command that may come; third, the ability to do nothing until the command is given.
TODAY:
Wait for deliverance
Wait for God’s timing
Wait for a loved one to turn to the Lord
Wait for God to work in a powerful way
While waiting, keep trusting
