I do not know all things. In fact, I don’t know many things. But there is one thing I am sure of – God knows how to make men. He knows how to use every element of life to forge his chosen into what He desires. And He builds them in a manner that is consistent with what He wants them to accomplish in and through them.
The making of Joseph was in different stages. By the way, I shared those in my book JOSEPH’S DREAMS: HOW TO ACCOMPLISH GOD-GIVEN DREAMS (link). In this article, however, I want to share a particular thought from verse 19 of Psalm 105. Psalms 105 verse 19 says, “Until the time that his word came: the word of the LORD tried him.”
1. A vision given.
Joseph received dreams from God, which signalled the first call to a chosen one. And seeing that Joseph responded in excitement, it showed that the call to a higher ground had been accepted by the chosen person. The same thing happened to Moses with the burning bush and Abraham with God’s call to leave his kindred for an unknown destination. We also see the same thing with the young Samuel responding to the call of God by running to the Prophet Eli.
Question: How have you responded to the numerous dreams, visions, clear words, and voice of God’s call?
2. The refining process
Until the prophecy was fulfilled, the word of God refined him. The throne (peak) is a place of execution of what has been worked into you. The output at that level is determined and sustained by the input prior to ascension.
Until the word of prophecy came to pass, until Pharaoh’s word to liberate Joseph came to the prison guards, until Joseph had successfully interpreted the dreams of Pharaoh, God continued a tough refining process of his young man.
That process of trial and transformation took 13 years. It is possible that the people who knew about Joseph’s dreams would have forgotten. In fact, Joseph’s siblings had forgotten about him and his dreams, having sold him off to the Ishmaelites.
Furthermore, Joseph could have been discouraged because none of what was happening to him seemed consistent with the dreams he saw.
During the refining process, none of what you’re experiencing seems to tally with the glorious destination God showed you.
But to God, all of those troubles were part of the process of Joseph’s formation as the sun. To assist your faith, God would reiterate his plan for your life through ways that may not make sense. But even at that, He doesn’t rush the process. The duration of the process and methods employed are completely at His discretion.
When the weight of the assignment will be heavy, he builds your shoulders and makes them robust through constant tests.
When the temptations surrounding the throne will be too much, he takes time to build character.
When the responsibilities attached to the position will be a lot, he builds capacity and competence.
All through ways and means that look unusual and do not align with what you have read in books and seen in movies. Ways and means that will even make family and friends doubt that God is making anything good out of you.
If you are not careful, you will be talked out of the path that God is leading. Satan will discourage you from the way, and you will desire a shortcut to fulfilling your dreams. However, the person who showed you the dreams is God, and the way to get there he certainly knows.
Therefore, Rest in Him. He knows what he is doing. And understand that you need to be before you can have. If Joseph had not become, he could not have retained what God gave to him.
Selah.
