Through GenesisSample

TIMING INVOLVES WAITING

What if the cupbearer had told the king about Joseph just after he got back to work?

- Maybe the king would have released Joseph.
- Joseph may have gone back to Canaan.
- He may have moved to another country.
- The king may have rejected the plea. After all, he was recommended by a cupbearer who just got back from jail.

But the cupbearer forgot. I’m sure Joseph initially was hoping each day would bring some good news. As days passed by, he may have given up hope until, suddenly, one day he was summoned by the king.

It is frustrating when people whom we think would help us are unable to help us whether genuinely, sometimes purposely, or at other times just forgetting. Once we experience God and realize His plans for us are sovereign, we need to allow God to work in his timeline. There was a time when I was praying for a breakthrough in my friend’s life. The first few days, my faith was at its peak. In a few weeks, having faith was a struggle but manageable. A few months later I was discouraged and had lost faith and didn't know how to pray. It was then that God taught me in a life span of seventy years, a few years is not that long a time and it is important to live those years without losing faith. A few years later God did come through, though not the way we expected. It sure was a journey of faith. We need to learn to have faith that God is sovereign and everything is under control, especially during difficult times.

Another thing I have noticed is God sends people into our lives, like the cupbearer, who are there for a significant part of our lives. It usually takes time before we find out why God brought them into our lives. As the cupbearer was there only to help introduce Joseph's dream-interpreting skill to the king, those in our lives are there for a particular reason and a season, after which they fade away from our lives. I have learned to respect them, let go, and move on.

We need to wait for God’s timing and move at His pace, not ahead as we may hurt ourselves, or behind as we may miss something. But in step so that we would be protected by the loving presence of our God whose grace and mercy sustains us however tough the situation.