Psalm 105:19

Bring It Back

Fresh from a youth retreat, the room was reminded what bold faith looks like when it is unjaded, when it has not learned to sand down prayers until they are safe. Messages over the weekend left many never more confident. That is the invitation for all of us this year. Do not grow old and stuffy and too sensible for your own good. Believe that God is moving and working, that He is for you, not against you. Believe He has plans and purposes for us together as a church and for each and every one of us. As we lean into Eternity in Our Hearts, let this be a year when we start believing again that God is able to do exceedingly and abundantly more than we can ask, hope, or think. Want the future to look different from the present. Long to see God do big things, to see lives changed by the gospel, people finding freedom, lies replaced with the truth of Scripture, a move of God that sweeps through our community. The message of Jesus is the only remedy for the eternal aching in our hearts, which means the world is ready to receive the Good News of Jesus even if they do not know it.

If we live like He only does small things, if logic leads and our prayers are sensible, rational, and toned down, we risk missing the incredible things He wants to do in and through this church and the ways He wants to move in our individual lives. Bring it back, a youthful hope and belief. Bring back some naive optimism.

Tested In The Waiting

Psalm 105 is a sweeping review of the first books of the Bible, a celebration of God’s faithfulness to His promises. It pauses over Joseph’s story, which begins in Genesis 37. At 17, one of 12 brothers and his father’s favorite, Joseph received two remarkable dreams. In both, his family bowed before him. Somehow, this teenage boy would one day find himself in a position of extraordinary authority and influence. And those dreams came true.

Thirteen years later he became the second most powerful man in Egypt, answering only to Pharaoh. When severe famine struck, he prepared Egypt and distributed food that would save countless lives. His brothers eventually came seeking food and bowed before him, just as he had dreamed. But a lot happened between the dream and its fulfillment. His brothers hated him, sold him into slavery, and he was taken hundreds of miles to Egypt. As a slave, while trying to keep his head down, he was falsely accused and thrown into prison. In prison he helped one of Pharaoh’s officials understand a dream and asked to be remembered when the man was released, but the man forgot and another two years passed. When Pharaoh had a troubling dream, Joseph was brought up from prison to interpret it. Pharaoh was so impressed that he placed Joseph as second in command over Egypt. By then, 13 years had passed since the moment his brothers sold him. For 13 years, his circumstances seemed to contradict everything God had shown him.

Psalm 105:19 says, "Until the time came to fulfill his dreams, the Lord tested Joseph’s character." God had not forgotten Joseph. In those years of testing, Joseph’s character was being refined. God was at work in the waiting. God was at work in the injustice. And before any of it, Joseph had a dream.

The way God spoke to Joseph, the specifics of his waiting, the details of his calling, those belong to Joseph’s story. But the essence of having a dream, something to hope for, something to build toward, a real optimism for the future, that is something we need back in our churches.

Get A Dream

Get a dream. Do not quit. Learn the lesson. This is not for a select few. This is not a topic reserved for the extra special. Every follower of Jesus needs to believe this. Let it fuel your life. Believe that God has something for you. Joseph’s example shows that a God-given dream is always too big for selfish ambition. When what we hope for and pray for is submitted to God, it will make a difference in the lives of others far beyond ourselves.

Something to hope for, something to pray for, something to build toward. Maybe this is something to pray about or to talk through with someone. Grab hold of a dream. God spoke to Joseph through literal dreams with specific details. At the most basic level, the promise is that the future can look very different from the present. It is not selfish, shallow, or ungodly to want the future to look different from the present. This is not a wish list demanding God satisfy every desire. This is about discovering what God has for you and submitting your hopes and dreams to Him. It is about getting back the hope and faith we so easily lose. Joseph’s dreams were part of God continuing His covenant faithfulness with His people. Who knows what He might have for us. Bring back a deep, burning commitment to seek Him and find out.

Too often we do not anticipate that the future can look extremely different from the present. It feels easier to believe history will repeat itself, to assume today’s problems will be there tomorrow, to settle for more of the same, to accept that because you are down, you will stay down. It takes faith and courage to get up and fight. It takes faith and courage to trust God with your future. It takes faith and courage to take a bold step. It takes faith and courage to build toward a future. It takes faith and courage to refuse to stay a victim and to leave the past behind. It takes faith and courage to grab hold of a dream or a vision or a promise and keep believing, keep trusting, and keep building your life toward whatever God has for you. This is the sticking point, the biggest shift in our thinking. What are you trusting God to accomplish that seems impossible right now?

Do Not Quit

The New Testament uses the Greek word hypomonē to describe steadfast endurance, perseverance, and patient determination in the face of hardship or prolonged difficulty. It is not passive waiting or simply tolerating suffering, it is an active, courageous commitment to remain faithful under pressure. It refuses to surrender trust in God, continues in obedience despite discouraging circumstances, and develops tested character and spiritual maturity through adversity.

Romans 5:3 says, "We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. 4 And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. 5 And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love."

2 Peter 1:5 says, "In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone."

Here two authors share the same idea, endurance is a key ingredient in character formation. Faith and courage demand a lot from us. Life will involve disappointments, setbacks, and difficulties. Anyone over thirty can confirm this, and many under thirty have already found it out. Following Jesus is not promised to be easy, it is promised to be worth it. We do not have to pretend that we are enjoying every injustice and hardship, but God can turn every struggle into something good.

Proverbs 24:16a says, "The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again." Micah 7:8 says, "Do not gloat over me, my enemies! For though I fall, I will rise again. Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light." 2 Corinthians 4:8 says, "We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. 9 We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed."

Where are you tempted to give up instead of remaining faithful? God, in His grace, reaffirmed His promises repeatedly to Abraham. He is with us. Nobody admires the story of someone who quit too easily, because we know that is not heroic or admirable. The opposite is true, we love the story of the underdog, the one who overcomes. An aspect of the gospel and indeed the whole Bible is that suffering has meaning. Joseph’s story. Jesus’ crucifixion. The persecution of believers. Psalm 105:19 says, "Until the time came to fulfill his dreams, the Lord tested Joseph’s character."

Regardless of your specifics, a dream or vision recognizes that the future can look different from the present. Joseph’s prophetic dreams were divine revelation, not mere ambition. It is not selfish to want the future to look different from the present. Be grateful for today without being complacent about tomorrow.

Learn The Lesson

Refining and strengthening. Joseph had a dream, but he did not know how to handle it. Psalm 66:10 says, "You have tested us, O God, you have purified us like silver." Zechariah 13:9 says, "I will bring that group through the fire and make them pure. I will refine them like silver and purify them like gold. They will call on my name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘These are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The Lord is our God.’"

While you are waiting, what is being revealed about your character, your priorities, your trust in God. Here is a hard question. If your God-given dream became reality today, would you have the maturity to carry the responsibilities that come with it. This is not about pass or fail. This is about becoming stronger, healthier, and more mature. God’s purpose in testing is not merely to evaluate character, but to develop it.

Whatever the dream is, it comes with new responsibilities, which means new preparation from God to get us ready, because without the preparation, the blessing becomes a nightmare. Our God-given dream and vision never become the blessing they could be, they never help others the way they could, if we skip the process of God’s preparation. Proverbs 13:19 says, "It is pleasant to see dreams come true, but fools refuse to turn from evil to attain them."

What might God be teaching you that you need to take seriously. What if our resistance to what God is teaching us is delaying the fulfillment of His promises. What are we missing out on by not stretching in the ways He is calling us to. Proverbs 13:18 says, "If you ignore criticism, you will end in poverty and disgrace, if you accept correction, you will be honored." Proverbs 13:19 says, "It is pleasant to see dreams come true, but fools refuse to turn from evil to attain them." Proverbs 15:32 says, "If you reject discipline, you only harm yourself, but if you listen to correction, you grow in understanding."

Joseph was in a terrible situation that was not his fault. He was treated unjustly and suffered through no wrongdoing of his own. But he stayed faithful. Whatever the circumstances of this waiting period in your life, stay faithful and learn all you can so your faith deepens and you are better prepared for what is ahead.

Waiting Is Preparation

Waiting is not passive. It is not like sitting in a doctor’s office waiting room. Joseph was active and diligent during his season of waiting. Think of waiting as preparation, as training. "When opportunity knocks, it's too late to prepare." John Wooden said that, and the point holds. Proverbs 20:4 says, "Those too lazy to plow in the right season will have no food at the harvest."

In one personal snapshot, he shared that there were 11 years before going into full-time ministry. There were deeply upsetting moments in those years, but perspective came as the Lord used the long season to stretch and prepare. Those north of forty will agree, some lessons cannot be learned the easy way. They do not come from a classroom or a video, they come through struggle, difficulty, and perseverance. Even something as simple as preparing for physical therapy illustrates it, strength is forged through resistance. Like baby birds hatching, the struggle itself builds the strength to live.

It is natural to be frustrated in waiting. To neutralize the frustration, ask in prayer, how is this stretching me and preparing me. On the other side, Joseph gained perspective.

Perspective On The Other Side

Genesis 45:5 says, "But don’t be upset, and don’t be angry with yourselves for selling me to this place. It was God who sent me here ahead of you to preserve your lives. 6 This famine that has ravaged the land for two years will last five more years, and there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. 7 God has sent me ahead of you to keep you and your families alive and to preserve many survivors. 8 So it was God who sent me here, not you. And he is the one who made me an adviser to Pharaoh, the manager of his entire palace and the governor of all Egypt." Genesis 50:20 adds, "You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people."

Maturity understands that the dream is never just about you. Joseph as a young man acted as if his visions were all about himself, about having family respect and being great in the eyes of people. The bigger picture was that Joseph saved countless lives. He led a nation through a famine that would have destroyed them. A God-given dream is always bigger than selfish ambition. Have goals and dreams. Pray and believe. Take bold steps forward. Persevere and do something remarkable. As God opens doors, as breakthroughs come, as His Word proves true, you begin to taste the joy of helping others. Maturity brings a deeper understanding, my purpose and calling do not just affect me, they are meant to be a blessing to others.

Bring It Home

Get a dream. Do not quit. Learn the lesson. The biggest challenge is having a dream to begin with. The point is not to replicate how Joseph received his dreams, but to be open and ready for the Lord to give you something to hope for and a glimpse of where He is leading you, and not only be ready to listen, but to actively seek Him. As you listen and seek Him for a word, guidance, direction, or a goal, be faithful and diligent where you are. Do not simply wait for an all of a sudden moment. Prepare, stretch, pay attention to what the Lord is teaching and how He is challenging you. And in all of it, resolve to stay the course. Cling to the promises of God. Decide now that when difficulties and challenges come, you will keep going.

What would happen if we put this into practice. Personally, challenges would become preparation. Difficulties would act like resistance training. Setbacks would build maturity. Disappointments would develop resilience. Pain would teach empathy. Patience would lead to determination. Persistence would make us stronger. Our own unjust treatment would grow a concern for justice for others. It is okay to acknowledge that this is difficult. The Bible does not revisit this theme because it is easy. It repeats it because it is hard. This is a call to do something incredibly difficult and to lean on God as He gives strength to shoulder what is in front of us.

As a church, support each other through the challenges. What would happen if all of us had a God-given dream we were actively pursuing. Take it a step further, what if all of us had a God-given dream we were actively pursuing, and we were all cheering each other on and supporting each other as a church family while we persevered and forged ahead in the face of every challenge, setback, and injustice. This is not a rallying cry to achieve more or to chase success. It is a call to trust God, to be faithful, and to expect Him to fulfill His promises in and through our lives.

Here is the review to keep close. Get a dream. Believe the future can look different. Be open to the Lord speaking, seek Him. Do not quit. Scripture hits this point so often we cannot ignore it. Remain faithful while you wait, even when the road is difficult. There is a reason we admire those who persevere. Trust that God is with you, keeping you going. Learn the lesson. If Joseph had become second in command of Egypt as a teenager it would have been a disaster. There was purifying, strengthening, building, and maturing that needed to happen. Waiting is not a time for sitting down, it is a time to be active and faithful and discerning what the Lord is teaching you in this season.

Three questions to carry into the week: What are you trusting God to accomplish that seems impossible right now. Where are you tempted to give up instead of remaining faithful. What might God be teaching you that you need to take seriously.