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Keeping Your Dreams Alive - Lessons from Joseph

Joseph was the most beloved son of Jacob who was popular for his “weird” dreams. His dreams eventually landed him into trouble as his elder brothers conspired to kill him (Gen. 37:20), thereby putting a definite end to the hope of realizing his dream. Well, the story is quite familiar: he was moved from slavery to prison, and then to the palace.
The lesson for us as we study Joseph is this: that GOD is faithful and able to bring His words and thoughts concerning us to pass. It is normal for GOD to give those that fear Him an idea of how their future will be, the level they will get to in life if they willingly cooperate with Him. After all, “the secret of Jehovah is with those who fear Him; and He will show them His covenant (Psa. 25:14 MKJV).”
BUT there is a catch. Whereas the LORD usually shows us the end-point, He does not normally communicate to us in great details the PATH to our destinies (see Gen. 12:1-3, Acts 9:6,16). This is to ensure we continue to abide in Him as we progress in life.
Now, we have a (God-given?) dream and a blueprint of what we think is the most-likely route to the top. The problem is that we are usually so tied to our blueprint that any slight deviation from it, caused by circumstances beyond our control or our mistakes, makes us lose our dreams and settle for less than what GOD has planned for us.
Joseph took the most unlikely route to his “top.” We may not be able to say how he thought he would get to the top, but we can be sure it was not as he envisioned. Thirteen years of frustration without the comfort of a family is not funny at all, and does not look like an upward movement! Most of that time was spent in prison for an offense he did not commit, with no one to plead his cause. But he maintained perspective and kept on walking with GOD, trusting that “He that promised is faithful (Heb. 10:23).”
We must therefore recognize that GOD can lead us through any route He deems fit to our glorious future. We must overcome the temptation to think GOD has to work with our (carefully devised?) plans. Even if we have deviated from the path in time past, He can still take us from where we are now to where we ought to be – if we let Him. He can even make a way where is none! (Isa. 43:19)
Do you think you can’t make it to the top again? Think again. Let the story of Joseph encourage you today.
Hear the Word of the LORD: “I will lead the blind on unfamiliar roads. I will lead them on unfamiliar paths. I will turn darkness into light in front of them. I will make rough places smooth. These are the things I will do for them, and I will never abandon them.” – Isaiah 42:16 GW.
Keep on walking with GOD.
Keep your dreams alive.
“Now that you know this truth, how happy [blessed] you will be if you put it into practice!”
– Jesus Christ (John 13:17 GNB).
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