The Lord was with Joseph, so he succeeded in everything he did as he served in the home of his Egyptian master. 3 Potiphar noticed this and realized that the Lord was with Joseph, giving him success in everything he did. 4 This pleased Potiphar, so he soon made Joseph his personal attendant... 22 Before long , the warden put Joseph in charge of all the other prisoners and over everything that happened in the prison. -Genesis 39:2-4, 22
My favorite Bible story is the story of Joseph. The Bible says that God was with Joseph, so he succeeded in everything he did. As a result, he got promoted everywhere he worked, regardless of where he started.
When talking about his promotion, the Bible says things like, “Poitphar soon made Joseph his personal attendant.” and “Before long, the warden put Joseph in charge.”
Joseph got promoted, but he didn’t get promoted in his timing. There were lessons he had to learn in Potiphar’s house and in prison that would prepare and equip him for what he was ultimately called to do, which was to lead Egypt through a famine.
In your life, you may be in a hurry to get to where God wants you to go. I know I am! However, as I’ve walked with God, I have found that He will always get you to where He wants you to go, exactly when He wants you to get there. However, there are usually lessons we need to learn and character that we need to develop in the season we are currently in that will prepare us for what we are ultimately called to do.
God knows exactly what steps you need to take to get to where He is taking you. In fact, Psalm 37:23 says, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way.” It’s the steps, not the leaps, of a righteous man that are ordered by God.
If you could ask Joseph and others who are being used by God in big ways how they got to where they are, I am 100% sure they would say, “One thing led to another, which led to another.” They just followed God and did whatever He wanted them to do in that moment. As they were faithful with the small things God gave them, God promoted them to bigger things until they got to where they are today.
God promises to be with you wherever you go. That is one of the greatest things He promises us in His Word. Just as he was with Joseph and caused him to succeed in everything he did, I believe God is with YOU and will cause you to succeed in everything you do. This does not mean everything will always be perfect and you’ll always do everything right, but God will cause you to succeed in spite of mistakes or shortcomings.
Learn to become comfortable waiting for the “soon’s” and “before longs” in your life. They will come. Be patient. Be faithful.
Thoughts?
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One Response
Wow, Doug. That is exactly what God has been speaking to me about. I’m in a season of it being my last semester at SRU while having a full-time ministry position waiting for me two days after I graduate. It has been very difficult not longing to be there sooner than I will be. But God has been faithfully reminding me that He has work to finish through me here and while my heart may be elsewhere, He wants me to learn how to be present here and to carry out His work. Patience has been getting much easier with this perspective, and especially knowing there is a lot of character development happening in me in this period. Your post really spoke to me, so thanks for listening to God and sharing what you are learning as well! 🙂 Blessings to you!