Hearing His Voice #271

Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream last night, and no one here can tell me what it means. But I have heard that when you hear about a dream you can interpret it.”

“It is beyond my power to do this,” Joseph replied. “But God can tell you what it means and set you at ease.”

Genesis 41:15-16

God put Joseph in a unique position to bless Egypt’s people and prepare the way for Israel’s people to be blessed too. If Joseph had not received insight from God on how to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams and to deal with their implications, the entire region would have suffered severely from the drought. But God cared deeply for both nations, so He raised His faithful servant into a place of influence.

How did Joseph rise to prominence? Not by rebuking Egypt for its idolatry or its harsh treatment of him. No, it was through his patient endurance in all the suffering he faced and by being open to God’s wisdom and revelation. He had experienced his own dreams years before—the dreams that offended his brothers and resulted in his painful exile in Egypt; he had interpreted the dreams of two of his prison mates, which earned him the reputation that would take him into Pharaoh’s court; and he was now interpreting dreams of national significance by simply declaring that God would give him insight. Not only that, he followed it with divine wisdom on how to deal with the problem. He knew how to interpret and speak the language of God.

God invites us to ask Him for His solutions not only for our lives but also for our society. He has given many people divine ideas through history and raised them to places of influence. This is how He blesses the world and draws people to Himself. And He will do so with us if we will begin to listen for His answers.

Lord, You have a solution for every problem in the world today and every problem I face. If You will share Your ideas with me, I will commit to ask for them and act on them so I can be a blessing to the world and Your Kingdom.