Genesis 37:5-11 reads, “Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more.  He said to them, ‘Listen to this dream I had: We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.’  His brothers said to him, ‘Do you intend to reign over us?  Will you actually rule us?’  And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said.  Then he had another dream, and he told his brothers.  ‘Listen,’ he said, ‘I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.’  When he told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said, ‘What is this dream you had?  Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?’  His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.” (NIV Bible Version)

After this, Joseph told his father and brothers.  After this, the brothers (except Ruben) sold him to the Ishmaelites.  He then was sold to Potiphar and, captain of the guard in Egypt. (Genesis 37:36).  The Lord was with Joseph even in Potiphar’s house.  Because the Lord was with him, he was very successful and Potiphar gave him authority over everything he had (Genesis 39:2-5).  Joseph then was falsely accused and thrown into prison.

While in prison, Joseph still had God with him.  God gave him the ability to interpret the dreams of the baker and the cup bearer (Genesis 40:5-19).

Joseph must have had a lot of faith and trust in God.  Think about it.  He, himself had those dreams all that time ago about his brothers bowing down to him and he is now in prison.  Through it all he trusted God.

In the end, Joseph is put second in command of all Egypt.  This caused what he had dreamed about to come true and he was reunited with his family.

Always trust in the Lord.  If He promises you something, you can trust He will deliver, but in God’s time, not yours.

Pastor John Hagee gave a sermon series a while back called, “Promise, Problem, Provision.”  The message he was trying to get across was that God makes you a promise, you will have to go through a problem, but the provision is well worth it.  I think he said it this way, “the provision will be greater than you can ever imagine.”  Look at Joseph’s example.  Joseph was promised (his dream) his brothers would bow down to him.  The problem was that Joseph had to get into power.  He acted proper in the problem, always keeping and trusting in God.  When he got out of the problem, prison, etc., the provision was probably not what Joseph expected, but was well worth the wait.  He was second in command of all Egypt and was able to prepare food for the famine God warned was coming and save his whole family and the Egyptians from starving.

If God gives you a promise, don’t whine in the problem, go through it and always keep God first in your everything so you can receive God’s promise (the provision).

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