“Well-Timed Delay” – FBC Morning Light (1/21/2025)

Trusting God’s Timetable in Delayed Deliverance

Well, good morning. I'd like to encourage you today with a few thoughts for the journey ahead from Genesis chapter 41. Have you ever found yourself frustrated, maybe completely discouraged, perhaps even sort of in a sense of despair because of just how long it's taking for prayers to be answered, or just how long you're enduring an unpleasant circumstance that you've been wanting to be delivered from, you've been praying to be delivered from it, and yet here you are, some grievous situation, and it's just day after day after day, maybe month after month, maybe year after year?

Well, I bring that out because of what we read in Genesis 41 and verse 46. Verse 46 tells us that Joseph was 30 years old when he stood before Pharaoh. Now, there's a lot to that, and I want to go back very quickly and just remind us of what's behind that.

Why was Joseph standing before Pharaoh? Because was there to interpret Pharaoh's dream. Well, how did he get to be standing before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and interpret Pharaoh's dream? Well, because there was a butler of Pharaoh's of whom Joseph blessed with the interpretation of his dream, but that interpretation of the butler's dream was two years prior to this particular situation, when Joseph was 28 years old.

And where was Joseph when he was 28 years old interpreting the butler's dream? He was in prison, and he had been in prison for quite some time. In fact, he was 17 years old when Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery, was purchased by Potiphar, and sometime after that, Potiphar's wife wrongly accused him, Potiphar attempted rape, Potiphar has him thrown into prison, and there Joseph is languishing in prison for years.

Years go by, years go by, and Joseph wanted out. In fact, after he interpreted the butler's dream, he said, when you get out and you're standing before Pharaoh again, pass on a good word for me so I can get out of here, I didn't do anything wrong.

And then we read that the butler forgot about Joseph for a couple of years. Joseph didn't forget about his plight, he didn't forget about his miserable circumstances, he wanted out. But here's the thing, the timing wasn't right.

Joseph's timing wasn't right. I wonder about that in relation to my frustration sometimes, when I get discouraged or frustrated because I'm not seeing the answers to prayer that I want to see when I want to see them, I'm not being delivered from some trying, difficult circumstance in the time that I want to be delivered from it, that's my time.

But if there's delay, then my time is not God's time. It took a couple of years after that dream, interpreting the dream of the butler, before Joseph had the opportunity to interpret Pharaoh's dream, but it was incredibly important that Joseph was available to interpret Pharaoh's dream.

Do a little what if in Joseph's life. What if Joseph hadn't been sold into slavery, and that famine came and wiped out thousands and thousands of people, and there was no Joseph there to know what was coming and to prepare for it and plan for it.

What if Joseph hadn't been thrown into jail, into the prison, where he could interpret the butler's dream, and then was not available to interpret Pharaoh's dream, and then was not available to provide the storing up of the resources for seven years of plenty before the seven years of famine came.

What if he wasn't there when his brothers came looking for food? We can go on and on with this, can't we? Here's the thing. God knew what was coming. God knew he wanted Joseph, and when he wanted him there, and in God's timetable, it all worked out absolutely perfectly.

It's obvious after the fact in Joseph's case, but while he's going through it, Joseph languished like we often languish. Joseph wanted the answer like we often want the answer. He wanted deliverance like we often want deliverance.

How critical it is that in our struggles with this, we learn to rest and trust in God's timetable. Father, help us with this, we pray. It isn't easy. So often our own flesh gets in the way, and our desires and what we want get in the way.

Lord, teach us to trust, teach us to wait. We pray in Jesus' name, amen. All right, listen, have a good rest of your day. I trust the Lord will bless you in it.