Not now, but Later.
BIBLE STORY:
In Genesis 37, Joseph is 17 years old and the youngest of his family. He is highly favored because his father had him at a very old age. Joseph had 11 other brothers, and they all hated him for how much he was loved by their father. One day Joseph has two dreams. In each dream, all of his brothers bow down to Joseph. When Joseph tells his family about the dream, his brothers hate him even more and even his own father rebukes him for the dreams he’s had. Hate grew so much in Joseph’s brother’s heart that they plan to kill him. When they see Joseph approaching they say “Here comes this dreamer.”, bind him and throw him into a pit. If it had it not been for one brother Reuben, they would've killed him. But he suggested they sell Joseph into slavery and they did.
Years pass by and the Lord is with Joseph everywhere he went. Joseph is handsome, successful and was appointed to oversee the house of Potiphar, captain of the guards in Egypt. The Lord blessed Potiphar’s house for Joseph’s sake and Joseph never worried about clothes or shelter. Joseph was a noble servant to Potiphar, but Potiphar’s wife wanted his services in other ways. When Joseph is falsely accused of rape, he’s thrown into prison where even still the Lord is with him and he’s left in charge of all the prisoners. While in prison, two former Egyptian servants have dreams they do not understand. When Joseph accurately interprets their dreams, his only request is that they vouch for his freedom. Of course, they forget.
Time goes on and Pharaoh has two dreams that none of his magicians can interpret. Finally, the former prisoner remembers Joseph’s gift of interpreting dreams and advises Pharaoh to consult him. Joseph is freed from prison to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams and of course, he’s correct. The dreams meant that Egypt is to prepare for 7 years of flourishing and 7 years of famine. Joseph is 30 years old when he is promoted to Chief Operations Officer in Egypt. When the 7 years of flourish have passed, the 7 years of famine begin and Joseph’s brothers have been sent to Egypt by their father to purchase grain so they do not starve. When they arrive to Egypt for purchase, the 11 of them bow down to Joseph, whom they do not recognize and plead for mercy to be granted food.
My Takeaway:
Blood is not always thicker than water, but God's favor is with you always. There will be people who do not like you simply because of who you are. Joseph's brothers hated him for something Joseph couldn't even control. I'm sure Joseph believed sharing his dreams with his family would've been a good idea. We are supposed to trust our family and love them unconditionally. Sadly there are times when we share our visions with our families and they don't believe in them. (Especially us creatives in our West Indian households.) We see in the bible that when Joseph tells his family about his dreams, no one is happy to hear them. They don't like the idea of having to bow down to the youngest in the family, its bad enough they already don't like him. People will hate you for the visions you have in your mind. People will do you wrong for no reason. Joseph's dream was a prophecy and in order for it to be fulfilled, the brothers had to sell him into slavery, Potiphar's wife had to falsely accuse him of rape, Joseph had to to go to prison.
It sucks, yes but it's important to remember that God was with Joseph always. God was with Joseph in the pit, in bondage, in the prison, and in his high position. Isn't it funny how the same dreaming abiilities that put Joseph in the pit were the same talents that brought him into his high status and ultimately saved his family? God has a unique sense of humor. Nothing can separate us from the destiny that is to be fulfilled in us. Even if it takes 12 years like Joseph, even when the people you love turn their back on you, vengeance is in the Lord and you must trust Him enough to know this it's all apart of the plan. Be encouraged!