…until what he had said came to pass, the word of the Lord tested him.
Psalm 105:19 (ESV)
When you can’t sleep you have a few options.
1. Lie there fuming. Just try to gut it out until you fall asleep, knowing deep down it probably won’t happen. But still you try.
2. Get up and do something you enjoy. Make the most of it. Read a book. Stare at your phone. Watch TV.
3. Punish your insomnia. I read this in a “brain book” once. (Unfortunately I can’t remember for sure which brain book it was. And, yes I do see the irony of that statement.) It’s a prescribed practice for battling insomnia. If you can’t sleep clean your toilet, organize your junk drawer, do your taxes. By doing this you’re telling your brain that if it wants to keep you awake it’s not going to be fun. I’ve tried this on occasion with success.
I opted for choice #2 at about three this morning and got up and read my Bible. I’ve been reading selected psalms lately and came to Psalm 105 this morning. This psalm recounts some of God’s promises and fulfillments from Abraham to Moses and the exodus from Egypt.
The verse at the top of this page really stuck out to me. This verse is in reference to Joseph and his journey from spoiled sibling to Vice President of Egypt. (Vice Pharaoh?)
When Joseph was a teen God made him a few promises; that he would be a ruler and that his own family, even his parents would pay homage to him. Now these promises came in the form of bizarre dreams, but they were still significant enough to concern his father and royally tick off his older brothers.
Long story short, sharing these promises, coupled with the fact that Joseph was spoiled by dear old dad, and he was a bit of a tattle-tale, ultimately resulted in his brothers plotting to kill him, throwing him in a well, then selling him into slavery, where he prospered a bit but was falsely accused of attempted rape, thrown into prison, given false hope of rescue by a forgetful servant, spent a few more years in prison, but then finally having an audience with Pharaoh, and then quickly being promoted to Vice Pharaoh!!! I apologize for the run-on sentence. If you haven’t read this story, or it’s been awhile since you have, I highly recommend doing so. It’s found in Genesis Chapters 37-45. (Chapter 38 actually isn’t a part of this story and, quite frankly, is a little icky, the relevance of which isn’t made clear until Mathew Chapter One! Possibly a topic for another blog.)
It took Joseph THIRTEEN YEARS for his promise to be fulfilled!
Thirteen years is a long time to wait for a promise. I think my beautiful and patient wife Kim can somewhat relate to this. When we got married we were young, broke, and still in college. We couldn’t afford a honeymoon but we really wanted to be married, and as a friend of mine once said, “It’s more fun to be broke and married than broke and single!”
But after the wedding and subsequent not-honeymoon, life happened and it was (please don’t judge me too harshly) just after our fifteenth anniversary when we finally celebrated an official honeymoon with a trip to Chicago. Fifteen years is a long time to wait for a honeymoon but at least Kim wasn’t in slavery and imprisonment…at least I hope she doesn’t see it that way.
Back to Joseph. Do you ever think Joseph ended up doubting his promises? Of course he did. We know the end of the story, but Joseph didn’t and I guarantee after a year or so in prison he had all but given up hope on his dream. Thoughts probably went through his head. Thoughts like…
- Maybe I missed the mark.
- Maybe my brothers were right.
- Maybe I did something to negate God’s promise.
- Maybe God has abandoned me.
Again, we know how the story ends. We know his promotion comes and when it does it comes quickly: from prisoner to superior in a day.
So how is your story going?
You and I don’t get the luxury of flipping a few pages to see how our story will end, how long it’ll take to see our promise fulfilled, or what trials lie ahead of us. We may not even fully know what God’s promise is for us. I assure you Joseph did NOT think his dreams meant he would be a ruler in a country with a pantheon of dieties, none of them the one true God.
At the time of writing this I am six months into a new journey and a new promise. I don’t know the outcome and I definitely don’t know fully what the promise entails. But I do know this…
1. The Promise Is A Process
It’s not something that I can expect to happen overnight. Maybe parts of it but definitely not all. As Kim and I are navigating this new chapter in our lives there has been a lot of trial and error, a lot of “let’s see if this works,” throwing ideas at the wall and seeing what sticks. Some things work. Some don’t.
But the biggest process isn’t what we are going to do, it’s who we are going to trust. This process is primarily about leaning on and trusting in God. Looking to Him for wisdom, direction and provision, yes, but more so just looking to Him. Being with Him. Loving Him.
The process is not about the promise as much as it is about the Promiser. It’s less about getting your ducks in a row, honing your skills to laying groundwork for your promise, and more about deepening your relationship with the One who gave you this promise.
And deep roots in your relationship with God are a must because…
2. The Promise Is A Proving Ground
What do I mean by that? I firmly believe that the promises themselves are intentionally coupled, by God, with trials. And this is where many Christians miss the mark when it comes to promise. We misplace blame sometimes when it comes to “roadblocks” in our promise. When we encounter obstacles to our promise, sometimes we think “That old Devil is just trying to steal my promise!” when in actuality it may be that God is behind your delays.
Don’t get me wrong. I do believe in Spiritual Warfare and that there is a Devil who hates you, wants to discourage you and keep you from your promises. But I don’t believe that he’s ALWAYS the one behind your perceived delays and hinderances to your promise. Now, I may lose some of you here, but sometimes the “devil” you think you’re rebuking is your loving Father who’s working in you and your situation. The God who loves you more than you can imagine may, himself, put up roadblocks to your promise. Let’s look at Psalm 105:19, once again.
…the word of the Lord tested him.
I find this verbiage very interesting for a few reasons.
First, the word “tested” basically means trial by fire. The terminology is the same as would describe the process purifying silver or gold, intensely heating it up to separate the impurities, the end result being the finest of metals.
This doesn’t sound like a fun process. It sounds like pain. This, again is why your relationship with your Promiser is crucial. This trial may burn everything else away, especially the things you hold most dearly. Things that could be idols. Things you might think are good, or even crucial. Your financial security. Your health. Your relationships. Your possessions. Anything you may fix our eyes on rather than God.
What does God need to incinerate from your life so that you can fix your eyes on Him?
The second thing I found interesting about this passage is that it says “THE WORD OF THE LORD tested him.” In essence Joseph received the promise of a trial.
Promises and testing go hand in hand. When God places a promise in our hearts it’s a guarantee we aren’t ready to receive it at that time. We are too imature, irresponsible, and proud to handle that promise, right now. We want the promise right now, but nowhere in the universe does it work that way. When you want to lose weight, do you just set a goal weight and it magically happens? When you set a career goal, do you just walk into the CEO’s office and plop down in your very large leather chair and start calling shots?
I think sometime we feel like, because we serve an all-powerful God, He should be able to immediately (or at least very quickly) make our promises a reality. And He can…but he won’t.
God cares more for your soul than He cares for your goal.
Human beings tend to be more concerned with the endgame. But God is all about your relationship with Him. He has plans for you, yes, but the primary focus for His plans is your walk with Him. Let’s go back to Joseph. When he received the promise he was around 17 years old, maybe younger. He was young, immature and spoiled. His daddy would give him anything he wanted. But as his security, luxury and family were stripped away, the only thing he had to cling to was his relationship to God. Even the hope of a cupbearer putting in a good word for him had to be dashed, so Joseph was left with just God, and nothing else.
Allow me to throw some math at you…
God + Anything = NOTHING
God + Nothing = EVERYTHING
The moment we put our hope in God plus Anything (money, health, family, relationships), we end up with nothing to stand on. But the moment we put our hope in God alone we have everything we need. I see this currently working out in my life right now. In August 2019, Kim and I stepped out in faith to start a new chapter in our lives, not knowing exactly what the promise was. We had ideas, dreams, possibilities, but we really didn’t know for sure where we would land. In many respects we still don’t. But throughout this process I had “plans” that would help sustain us along the way. And one-by-one many of those plans fell through, doors shutting left and right. Through it all God was telling me, “Don’t put your hope or trust into your plans. Put your trust in me.” I knew Kim and I had to get to a point where it was God + Nothing. And every day I must look to him and nothing else. And opportunities have presented themselves in ways we didn’t even imagine. And I know I haven’t arrived, but one thing I know, I must keep my eyes on God and none other!
God has amazing promises for your life. But his promises come at a cost. Ultimately they could cost you everything. But when we fix our eyes on the Promiser, rather than the promise we can know the best is yet to come!’
Blessings,
Caleb
If you enjoyed this post, feel free to buy Caleb a cup of coffee.