And he remembered the dreams he’d had about them many years before. Genesis 42:9 (NLT)
Fourteen years. Joseph had a dream that his brothers would one day bow down to him. He shared that dream with them. And then he had another similar dream. He shared that with his fathers and his brother. At this, his father chastised him and brothers were very angry. The brothers solution? Why, let's sell him into slavery to get rid of him.
Fast forward 14 years. The Bible says in verse 6, Since Joseph was governor of all Egypt and in charge of selling grain to all the people, it was to him that his brothers came. When they arrived, they bowed before him with their faces to the ground.
It took 14 years from the time Joseph had his dreams about his brothers before it came to fruition. What do you think took so long? If this was God's plan, why didn't he just work it out?
In Psalms 105:19 it says Until the time came to fulfill his dreams, the Lord tested Joseph’s character. I read this text as an "until/and". God's timing is a combination of things. The time has to be perfect and our character needs to be ready. Joseph had the dream but there was no famine. It was a dream of things to come. And, without testing his character, would Joseph be ready to be the second in command of Egypt?
I often wonder why things seem to take forever. God has us on a journey and the journey is long and hard. I want it to be over and done with. But, as I read this story I begin to understand that God's timing is flawless. He knows when things need to happen and he knows when we are ready.
Today, if you feel like you are walking through years of trouble, hold on. God's been timing things for thousands of years and he hasn't gotten it wrong yet.