This story is one I want to title, “In His Time.” Now there is a time for everything under heaven as recorded in Ecclesiates chapter 3. For everyone of us, there is also a “TIME.”
Now while Joseph was in prison, two high ranking officials just so happened to offend their boss – Pharaoh – and were also thrown into prison. These officials became prison mates with Joseph but because of their ranks, Joseph had to be at their service while in prison. On this beautiful morning, Joseph woke up and got ready to resume his daily responsibility of service to these two men when he noticed that they were all moody and gloomy. “What’s the trouble?” Joseph asked and they shared their dreams with him which he went on to interpret to them. After this, Joseph requested that he be remembered when they go out of prison but alas he was forgotten.
Then two years passed by.
9 Then the chief officer who served wine to the king said to him, “Now I remember something I promised to do, but I forgot about it. 10 There was a time when you were angry with the baker and me, and you put us in prison in the house of the captain of the guard. 11 In prison we each had a dream on the same night, and each dream had a different meaning. 12 A young Hebrew man, a servant of the captain of the guard, was in the prison with us. When we told him our dreams, he explained their meanings to us. He told each man the meaning of his dream, and 13 things happened exactly as he said they would: I was given back my old position, and the baker was hanged.”
Many times, we come around people who we have done one good or another for; and we as humans would expect that in our time of need, these people would be the first to remember us. It may not always be so; and we may lose hope of even go about telling people of the good we did and how the person who this good was done to had abandoned us, in the end attracting a huge pity party.
There is no record in scriptures of Joseph doing such. He went on living each day in the prison. Then the TIME came. Yes it came and this time, he who forgot remembered.
As long as we live here on earth, people will cross our path. Some will even become part of our lives and some will just pass by, staying for only a short while. Some will help us, some we will help. Whichever role we play, let’s do it out of love, expecting nothing in return because when the TIME comes, they would be instrumental in one way or another for our good.
Joseph had moved on. But God hadn’t moved on. He had plans and not just small ones. I often imagine, (I do have a huge imaginative mind) “What if Joseph had been remembered immediately the chief officer was out of prison? Maybe Joseph would have gone back to Potiphar’s house again and be thrown again into prison.” Then I imagine again, “if he had not gone to Potiphar, he may have ended up a slave in Pharaoh’s palace.” But the interesting thing is this, when it will be his TIME, irrespective of where he is, he will be remembered and that for good.
14 So the king called for Joseph. The guards quickly brought him out of the prison, and he shaved, put on clean clothes, and went before the king. 15 The king said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, but no one can explain its meaning to me. I have heard that you can explain a dream when someone tells it to you.”
Here, I look up and shout, “THIS GOD!!!” (I am sure some of you are like me that just shout out of excitement when you get a revelation or rhema. Yes I just look up, smile and point at God and shake my head in approval and joy. Then I say “Thank you.”)
Joseph was called before the king and based on recommendation, the king told him all his dreams.
“I pray that those who are mean’t to remember you would not just remember you, but recommend you based on a 5-Star review in Jesus Name. Amen.”
25 Then Joseph said to the king, “Both of these dreams mean the same thing. God is telling you what he is about to do.
33 “So let the king choose a man who is very wise and understanding and set him over the land of Egypt.
Can you see the humility of Joseph still shining through even after time in prison? Many of us (myself included) would have immediately put forth our CV/Resume before the King for this appointment but not Joseph. He once again helped and this time, expecting nothing in return. (Sure he had learned his lesson – to help, expecting nothing in return)
37 This seemed like a very good idea to the king, and all his officers agreed. 38 And the king asked them, “Can we find a better man than Joseph to take this job? God’s spirit is truly in him!” 39 So the king said to Joseph, “God has shown you all this. There is no one as wise and understanding as you are, so 40 I will put you in charge of my palace. All the people will obey your orders, and only I will be greater than you.” 41 Then the king said to Joseph, “Look! I have put you in charge of all the land of Egypt.”
44 The king said to him, “I am the king, and I say that no one in all the land of Egypt may lift a hand or a foot without your permission.”
Joseph ended up as the Prime Minister. A position higher than his former boss. A position higher than the man whose memory God rebooted when it was TIME. Even though the King was number 1, Joseph’s approval was number 1.
So beautiful, “have you learned anything from Joseph yet?”
“Do you still want to stay angry at those you helped on life’s way who – in their human nature – has forgotten you, some unintentionally?”
“Will you rely on God’s TIME for you or that of man and society?”
Just before you begin to compare the “free time” others are currently enjoying with the “prison time” you are facing (or as I like to call it, “Learning time”), understand that there is a TIME. Don’t rush to graduate from this time. Learn, learn and come out with 5 stars reviews that attract only high ranking recommendations.
Just before I rest my fingers, read this:
46Joseph was thirty years old when he began serving the king of Egypt. And he left the king’s court and traveled through all the land of Egypt.
God will glorify Himself in your life irrespective of the age as which you begin to bloom. Wasted time in the past? Don’t regret just yet, plan and begin to learn now.
P.S. Just like you learn for some years before you graduate, in the school of life and time, there are things you need to learn before you move to the next big stage. How long you stay there is dependent on you. Some spend less time, some spend more time. Ask for strength and help from the Lord to stay focused during your training period so you can move to your next big phase in record time.
Thank you for reading, I’ll love to read your comments, feedback and answer some of your questions.
Blessings.
Beautiful Life Corner 