What I read this morning immediately made me think of this post I wrote a few months back (In the Shadow of His Hand). The gist of it is that God is ALWAYS preparing heroes, and when God puts them on the scene, or when He reaches for them out of His quiver, the world usually wonders where they came from. The preparation may take an awfully long time, but when the time comes for that person to be used to accomplish God’s plan… He will put them on display at lightening fast speed. Let’s look at Joseph in the Old Testament…
“Pharaoh sent for Joseph at once, and he was quickly brought from the prison.” Genesis 41: 14
I think you all know by now that’s God’s “quickly” isn’t ours. We all know His timing is not the same as ours, and Oh—how frustrating that can be! It certainly wasn’t quick for Joseph. Time seemed to move slowly for him. I can imagine (I really can imagine) how Joseph must have felt; year after year nothing new—just more time spent in jail. I’m sure, that when Joseph was being taken to Pharaoh, his thoughts were probably, “Why should this time be any different?” Being in my physical prison for the last ten years, makes me totally agree with that question… “Why should this time be any different?”
The more I study the story of Joseph, the more I come to this conclusion—if it isn’t the right time for you to be used mightily—God is going to make you wait. And that isn’t saying He’s not using you in your present situation. This is something we can’t thoroughly understand with our limited minds, but God tells us His ways and thoughts are higher than ours… that’s just the way it is. But the story of Joseph does tell me our most important opportunities may come when we least expect them. Did he have time to prepare when he was hastily brought from the dungeon to see Pharaoh? Well, yes and no; he had no warning that he would be suddenly pulled from prison and questioned by the king. But he was ready for almost anything because of his right relationship with God.
