“Great is thy faithfulness, great is thy faithfulness. Morning by morning new mercies I see.” Lamentations 3:23
That refrain repeatedly played in my head.
Faithfulness.
God is always faithful. Even when circumstances might suggest otherwise. I bet you have lived it. I know I sure have. And
in Genesis 37-50, we read that Joseph had.
God gave Joseph a big dream. A God-sized dream. A dream even Joseph himself could not fully comprehend.
Yet, that dream didn’t come to fruition until after more than a decade had past.
What was God doing all that time?
Refining Joseph.
Humbling Joseph.
Building Joseph’s faith.
Before Joseph could meet Pharaoh and be appointed second in command in Egypt, he needed refined. He needed to know what faith in hard times looked like. He needed to know what reliance on God, not his dad, not himself, was. And he did learn to trust God. He learned to rely on God alone.
Before wielding power, before going to serve Pharaoh, Joseph needed humbling. True humbling. He needed to understand what it was like to be falsely accused, to wear ragged clothing and to be hungry. These things he probably never would have experienced at home with a wealthy father.
Joseph chose humility and serving God when Pharaoh called upon him rather than wielding a self-serving attitude. He honestly knew what God was capable of, and what he, Joseph, was not. Those seventeen years of hardship served to build faith in a young man who might not have constructed such a deep and honored reference for his Heavenly father otherwise.
It was over seventeen years since that initial vision. His lifespan had more than doubled from when he first dreamt the dream.
He’d experienced the worst years of his life. The worst scenarios, the worst fear, and the worst challenges. And He had experienced it alone, except for God.
For God, it was also a time of tremendous faith-building.
Joseph faithfully served God wherever he was. He humbled himself to whatever God placed him in: Working as a servant who was falsely accused. In prison, surrounded by people who forgot to help him. Joseph had reason to be salty, frustrated, and downright angry. But that’s not what is recorded. Instead, he somehow allowed God to construct his faith one brick at a time, throughout events Joseph himself would never have chosen.
God proved faithful to Joseph. Throughout his story, we are reminded that God was with him.
And Joseph learned to hold God close. Even without family support. Even without knowledge of the local language or culture. Even without a friend who really knew him.
He witnessed God’s faithfulness.
He lived God’s faithfulness.
He learned God’s faithfulness.
And he, became faithful to his God.
I am not sure where you are today. Are you in a season on construction? Maybe God is building something you can’t imagine, and maybe you’d like Him to hurry up and finish! I have been there. Lord, how long do I need to circle challenging circumstances?
And yet, as we read in the Bible, God does not waste a thing. We can learn from each and every experience, discern wisdom from every detail and grow from every God-given experience, if we choose to allow Him to teach us.
It’s not easy. Especially when you might feel life just keeps throwing hardballs at you. But the Bible shows us, and I truly believe from life experience, God is forever faithful.
He loves His children.
He can be trusted.
He will help us learn from and endure our circumstances when we ask. Let’s ask Him for just that.
Prayer: Dear heavenly Father, Thank You for Your great faithfulness. Thank you for teaching me what true faithfulness looks like and how, no matter how long I have waited, You will fulfill Your promises. Please help me to be faithful to You. In Jesus’ name, amen.