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A Dream Deferred

Read: Genesis 37:1-11

Behold, I have dreamed another dream. (v. 9)

Several years ago, I watched a long-cherished dream of mine becoming a reality: my husband and I were accepted to go to the mission field. The day after we partnered with a ministry and applied for an upcoming trip, we received an unexpected check in the mail for the exact amount needed for one of us to go. That same week, another check arrived that easily enabled us to fund the rest. We rejoiced to see how clearly God was making a way for us to go. But one week before our departure date, we received unfavorable news about the organization that caused us to cancel. Why had God’s obvious yesso suddenly turned to no?

Jacob’s son Joseph was a dreamer too. One night, Joseph saw the sun, moon, and eleven stars bowing before him, a dream he excitedly shared with his eleven jealous brothers the next day. A short time later, Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery—the complete opposite of the favor indicated in his dream. But Joseph clung to God and slowly rose to become the second in command to the Egyptian Pharoah. His dream became reality as his brothers bowed before him in a time of famine, begging for food.

Although I am still waiting for my own dream to be fulfilled, Joseph’s story gives me hope. Joseph’s symbolic dream took years to become a reality, but God didn’t forget Joseph; neither does God forget us, even when the wait between promise and fulfillment seems impossibly long.

As you pray, ask God to give you hope in your dreaming and help in your waiting.

About the Author

Katelyn J. Dixon is a writer and photographer from Auburn, Washington. When she’s not creating, she enjoys exploring the beautiful Pacific Northwest with her husband Drew and partnering with him in life and ministry.

This entry is part 5 of 9 in the series The Heavens Declare