The Wilderness Leads to the Promise

By: Sarah Martin

Are you waiting on a promise from God, but it seems so far or has not yet come to pass? I’ve been there, in fact I still am. Joseph was also there, for he didn’t enter God’s promise for his life until thirteen years later down the road. Within these thirteen years, Joseph was in all sorts of tribulation. It was within this period of trials that God was shaping him so that when the time to enter God’s promise for him would arrive, he would be ready.

When God first gave Joseph a glimpse into his future, he was shown that he would rule over many people, including his brothers and parents. In fact, Joseph became boastful at the thought, for as we see in Genesis 37:6-7 he says “Please hear this dream which I have dreamed: There we were, binding sheaves in the field. Then behold my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and indeed your sheaves stood all around and bowed down to my sheaf”. In verse 9 he says again, “... Look, I have dreamed another dream. And this time, the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to me”. Not only was he prideful, in verse 2 it says, “...Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and he was a lad with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives: and Joseph brought the evil report of them unto their father”, Joseph was also a "tattletale". If God would have given Joseph His promise in this time with the character traits he had, he would have not been ready to be the mighty anointed ruler God had called him to be because his character at the time would not be able to sustain the call. Eventually, it would all com crumbling down. Joseph needed to go through the wilderness in order to enter the promise, for it would prepare him to become the leader God had appointed him to be.

We see that Joseph’s wilderness first began when his brothers decided to sell him into slavery, or in other words he was betrayed. Next, we see that this young servant of God is brought into Potiphar’s household and was put in charge, where “...the Lord blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the Lord was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field” (Genesis 39:5). In this time period, Joseph was faithfully serving his master and the Lord, and things were going pretty well, but then something suddenly happened and Joseph was faced with another test. Potiphar’s wife tried to tempt Joseph into the act of adultery, but instead of giving in, it says in Genesis 39:12 that “He left his garment in her hand, and fled and ran outside”. Joseph fled from adultery, he ran from the path of sin, and was obedient to his Lord. Now the question is, where did his obedience get him? In Genesis 39:20 it says that “Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison…” . It seems that the more Joseph was faithful and obedient to the Lord, the further he was from the promise and the more distant God was, but on the contrary, Joseph was getting closer to the promise and God was with him all the way. It even says in Genesis 39:20-21, “while Joseph was there in the prison, the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden”. Even in a time of despair and what seemed to be a hopeless situation, God did not leave Joseph, He was with him and “granted him favor”.

Shortly after being put in prison, Joseph is yet again faced with another test, but this time it was one of faithfulness. When the Pharaoh’s cupbearer and the baker both had dreams, Joseph had two options. One would be to call it quits and not tell the two prisoners the meaning of their dreams, and the other option would be to remain faithful to the Lord and interpret these dreams when he didn’t even see his own visions, his own promise come to pass; Joseph decided to remain faithful. Joseph then asked the cupbearer to remember him when he returns to Pharaoh and is restored back to his position, but the cupbearer forgot and Joseph remained in prison for another two years. From Joseph’s perspective we could probably say that he felt alone and that God had abandoned him, but in reality God was working behind the scenes and He was making a way to the promise. After the two years, we see in Genesis chapter 41, that God gives Pharaoh two dreams that no one can interpret, except Joseph. When “Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it”” (Genesis 41:15), Joseph did not become prideful, rather he said, ““I cannot do it… but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires” (vs. 16). As shown in this instance, God brought Joseph from a place of pride to a place of humility. Joseph developed into a strong, faithful, obedient, and humble servant of God, and so now he is able to enter his great place of authority and honor God had promised him thirteen years before hand.

When Joseph remained faithful to and honored God, the Lord honored and was faithful to Joseph. It is so easy to give up and throw in the towel when we face tribulations, but where would that get us? When it seems as though God isn’t there and that He isn’t moving, truly I say to you He is. God is preparing the promise ahead of you, and in the meantime is also instilling within his people strength, courage, and an unshakable faith. God is building and molding us through the wildernesses we go through. He chips away the dead parts of our life that bring us down in the dirt and brings to life the spirit within us.

My dear readers, I want to encourage you that if you are going through a wilderness or dry times, try to not look at it with such despair. Rather, look upon it as a place of preparation where the dead fragments of your life that are weighing you down are being broken off. Then, when you reach the promise God has for you, you can enter it with such power, authority, and freedom.