Of all the biblical characters and stories, I've always felt the most affinity with Joseph. Joseph was a dreamer, and when he was around seventeen The Lord gave him a dream that was apparently so real and vivid to him, that he held on to it : through the pit, slavery, and wrongful imprisonment. The bible never mentions that Joseph became bitter, angry, or disillusioned; instead in Psalms 105:19 it says "Until the time that his word came: the word of The Lord tried him." You see Joseph knew without a doubt that The Lord had personally given him a word. Yet in his present circumstances he could not see how that word would come to pass...so his dream tested his faith. But thank God that He has his appointed time and seasons in our lives, for when the time came about thirteen years after Joseph first had his dream, God lifted him up to a place of stature, and brought his dream to pass. That story encourages me, that no matter how long it may take God's word to come to pass, at the end it will accomplish what He intended it to. God is always right on time.
The joy of the Lord is our strength...it is not contingent on outward circumstances, feelings, or what we can readily see. God is strong, He is mighty to save, and like the good Father that He is, He cares about every area of our lives. He desires that in all things we would prosper, even as our soul prospers. He is never far away from our cries, no matter how isolated we may sometimes feel, He is closer than our very breath. No matter what raging sea lies before you threatening to engulf your very life, remember that we serve a God who can still the waves. No matter what furnace you find yourself standing in, remember that we have a Lord who walks in the fire with us, and keeps us from being burned by the flames . Is anything too hard for God? Trust Him, at the appointed time He will move on your behalf. “In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears.” Psalms 18:6 ESV http://bible.c
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