We all have those moments where we look at where we are in life and think… ‘Wow, my life really didn’t follow the nice straight path I thought it would.’

What did you envision your life would be like?

Now looking at my life I couldn’t think of it being anything more different than what I once thought it would look like.  Am I unhappy with where I am right now? Absolutely not! I am living in the fruition of more dreams that God placed in my heart along the way. When contemplating the notion of dreams that I once had, I was reminded of Joseph.

Joseph was a man who was given big dreams when he was young. He didn’t know how they would come to pass, and everyone laughed at them – they even got mad. But he knew that God had given those dreams to him, and so he didn’t let them go. Joseph was put in a hole, sold as a slave and just when things were starting to look on the bright side as 2IC in Potiphar’s household, he was thrown into prison! And that was when the revelation hit me….

1. God didn’t tell Joseph how his dream was going to be fulfilled

Sometimes we have a God given dream, but we have no idea how it will come to pass. We want God to lay it out in a nice little map and get frustrated when He seems silent on the issue.

Honestly though, if God had laid out Joseph’s life plan for him and shown him what he would have to endure before seeing the fruition of his dream, do you think he would have been able to handle it? Think of the moments in your life where you have come through a tough situation and you are left thinking… ‘Did I actually just weather that storm? Was that my life? I never thought I’d be able to cope with that!’ But that’s why we pray and ask God to ‘give us this day our daily bread’. Jesus doesn’t always tell us what’s coming up but He is there for us every single day. He gives us what we need to press on, just like He never left Joseph while he was there in the prison.

2. Joseph never let go of God’s promise

The Bible doesn’t explicitly say that Joseph never let go of his dreams but is says that while he was in Potiphar’s house everything he did flourished. Even when he was thrown into prison he had favor in the eyes of the prison warden, and then he was put in charge of all those held in the prison!

Does that sound like a man who has given up on life and the promise that God had given him? No way!

Joseph said to the chief cup bearer after interpreting his dream ‘But when all goes well with you, remember me and show me kindness; mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this prison.’

He was a man with a passion to live and fight for what he knew God had told him despite circumstances.

3. God was working in a bigger way than Joseph could comprehend

Through Josephs trials God was working in a way that was bigger than Joseph could comprehend. Psalm 105:19 says ‘Until the time came to fulfill his dreams, the Lord tested Joseph’s character.’

We often wish that our dreams would become a reality straight away. We don’t bother with preparation under the misconception that we are ready and could handle the responsibility and magnitude of what we are are hoping for.

Often, your character needs developing and and God can see that. He puts us in situations often that leave us questioning as to why we had to go through the pain, but like with Joseph, God uses these seemingly terrible circumstances to work on a bigger plan.

4. God worked to His own timetable – not Joseph’s

This one is always the stinker.

Who hasn’t been told in a condescending tone to ‘just trust in God’s timing!’ It’s so cliché! But the fact is that it is absolute truth. The best thing that we can do is accept it, and trust that God has our best interest at heart. We are His beloved children and when we trust in him, we are able to enjoy the ‘right now’, rather than wishing for tomorrow. Gods plan was so different to Josephs, and it took time. He worked on Josephs character, gave him resilience and gradually elevated him to a position greater than anyone could have ever imagined. And It didn’t happen overnight. So take a step back, and wait on Gods timing, as frustrating as it can be sometimes.

Maybe you’ve had a dream burning in you for a while, and if you still haven’t seen your dream come to fruition, make a decision today not to let go of it! Be diligent in the area God has you at the moment – just like Joseph did in prison. Let your character continue to grow and trust in God’s timing and plan.