The Unforeseen

Finish this sentence: I lose sight of hope when ____________.

Personally, I lose sight of hope when the unforeseen happens and all that once seemed clear becomes fog and confusion. Joseph experienced the unforeseen. More than once. After being sold into slavery by his own brothers, Joseph eventually found himself in prison for a crime he didn't commit. All hope should have been lost. Yet Joseph had the incredible ability to interpret dreams. And just as his own dreams of destined royalty were the beginning of his pain, they were the hope he held onto through years of twists and turns. 

Two men who were in prison with Joseph were the king's cup bearer, and a baker. Both men had dreams, and Joseph offered to interpret them. If you are familiar with this story, you know that the cup bearer's dream had a much happier ending than the baker's. But we also see the hope that Joseph continued to hold onto, despite his hopeless state:

"So the chief cup bearer told Joseph his dream. He said to him, '“In my dream I saw a vine in front of me, and on the vine were three branches. As soon as it budded, it blossomed, and its clusters ripened into grapes. Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes, squeezed them into Pharaoh’s cup and put the cup in his hand.”'

 '“This is what it means,”' Joseph said to him. '“The three branches are three days. Within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your position, and you will put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand, just as you used to do when you were his cup bearer. But when all goes well with you, remember me and show me kindness; mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this prison. I was forcibly carried off from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing to deserve being put in a dungeon.”' (emphasis mine)

Genesis 40:9-15

Joseph said, 'when all goes well with you.' He didn't say to the man, 'Well, I had a great dream too, but look at where I ended up. You can't trust your dreams.' Joseph believed in the man's dream, and his God-given ability to interpret it. He knew the man would be released from prison, and took the opportunity to plead for his own freedom. Hope was not lost. Bitterness had not yet sunk in. What an incredible faith! What can we learn from Joseph's story?

- Sometimes God gives us the desire or vision for something, but doesn't reveal the obstacles we'll encounter to get there.

- God doesn't promise us time tables. It requires faith and trust to wait on Him.

- Unforeseen circumstances don't mean that hope is lost. We can trust God in the place of waiting, in the crushed dreams, and in the pain.