Dreams Can Be Dangerous
I am at DIA waiting for my flight to Atlanta. My flight has just been delayed 50 minutes and the gate moved. That means I will need to find someone to help me move to the opposite end of the concourse to the new gate. Jim Szakmeister drove me to the airport and helped me get into the terminal. This was my first time to fly alone, so it proved to be a learning experience. Jim found a young college student from Ethiopia who assists handicap people, came to our rescue and wheeled me the the ticket counter and to my gate and helped me secure my priority boarding pass.
Since I have some down time and I will be arriving late into Atlanta, I thought I had better get my blog done a little earlier than usual.
BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY… They [Joseph’s brothers] said to one another, “Here comes that dreamer. Come on now, let’s kill him and throw his body into one of the dry wells. We can say that a wild animal killed him. Then we will see what becomes of his dreams.” Genesis 37:19,20
Joesph was the son of Rachel, Jacob’s true love. As a result he favored him over his brothers. The Bible seems to indicate that Jacob kept him close to home while his brothers took care of the flocks. Joesph would make occasional trips to take his brothers something, to check up on them an bring a report back to his father.
Joesph has two dreams which indicated that he would be superior to his brothers and even his father. This enraged his brothers, resulted in a rebuke from his father, although his father kept the dream in his heart. (As I read the account of the reunification of Joesph and his father in Egypt, I couldn’t help wonder how it was explained to his father how the son who had mourned for, for 13 years was found alive!)
What we see in Joesph is that there are those who dash dreams and those who encourage and support our dreams. The jealousy of Joesph by his brothers, was due to dad’s preferential treatment and it fueled anger and resentment, when Joesph shared his dreams. It would be easy for them to view these dreams as arrogance run amok. And perhaps it was. We see the plan of his brothers was to permanently put an end to not just Joesph’s dreams, but the dreamer.
However, the irony of the story is that the plans of Joseph’s brothers and others that were set against Joesph is exactly what the Lord used to make his dreams come true. These experiences humbled Joesph. He was a slave and a servant. These circumstances could have also dashed Joesph’s dreams but he didn’t let that happen.
But these experiences also provided the proving ground for Joesph. He maintained his character, he excelled in the work that was before him. This is seen even to the extent of becoming the most trust prisoner while he was in prison. All of this made Joesph capable and trustworthy as the Prime Minister of Egypt.
In the end Joesph’s dreams became true, but instead of a family bowing before him, it was the most powerful nation in the world at the time the was bowing before him. The outcome was the good of a nation and the birth of the nation of Israel in the womb of Egypt.
It is encouraging to see how that the Lord can use the hardships of life and place us in the opposite circumstances from the course we would pursue to accomplish our dreams, to fulfill our dreams. It is up to us to stay focused and true to ourselves and the Lord and trust Him for the end results. Don’t allow others or circumstances “dash your dreams.” It is the Lord and not ourselves who ultimately allows our dreams to become a reality.