THE BIGGER PICTURE

A few weeks ago, I asked God to give me a new perspective. This was mainly because currently in my life there are many things happening that I truly do not understand. I can confidently say that I know that God is good, and that His plan for my life is not to harm me but to prosper me. Knowing that truth, I know that I can’t use my human eyes and mindset to understand or comprehend the current state of my life and determine what my life will be like years from now.

Subsequent to this prayer God lead me to the story of Joseph in Genesis (chapters 37 - 45). What He encouraged me to do was to step back and have a look at the full sum of Joseph’s journey.

Before Joseph was put in charge of the whole land of Egypt and appointed second-in-command by Pharoah (Genesis 41 vs 41-43), he was a prisoner and the head of them- but a prisoner all the same (Genesis 39: 20-22). Before he was thrown into prison, he was a highly esteemed slave in Potiphar’s house and placed in charge of his entire household (Genesis 39:4). Before he was a highly esteemed slave, he was simply a slave and before he was a slave, he was left for dead in a cistern by his own brothers (Genesis 37:23-24).

Many of us want to skip to the part where we are at the right hand of Pharoah, but we do not want go through the prison days, the slave days, the falsely accused days. The gag is however, that all of these things were not only a part of his journey, but they were vital to it. God must have taught Joseph countless lessons during those days. I’m sure some of those days were dark and painful yet through it all, God favoured him tremendously and helped him. Joseph continued to work diligently even as a head slave and as a head prisoner. It must have been hard and he must have wrestled with himself, missing his father and mother and the land that he knew. Yet this same man was the one who was able to look at his brothers in the end and say, I know this was not your doing but God’s (Genesis 45: 5-8).

He was able to have the mindset that the ups, downs and the in between was all in God’s good and perfect plan. Now, I find it imperative to highlight that this amazing character development did not take place in one week or a few months. It took years. Joseph was 17 years old when God gave him those dreams, and he did not get placed as second-in-command to Pharoah until he was 30 years old. Moreover, it took another 9 years before Joseph met up with his brothers again. So, in total it was actually 22 years. It took 22 years before God’s prophetic dreams to Joseph came to pass, and it was 22 years before Joseph himself even understood what those dreams really meant.

Why is it then, that some of us are so hell-bent on seeing God’s plans and promises come to pass in our lives right this very second and if it doesn’t happen as we want it, if we don’t understand it in a short time, we get mad, feel frustrated and even want to give up?

Let us use our brother Joseph’s life as a prime example of God working all things for our good. Let us strive to have this kind of faith and as a result develop Godly patience. Let us remember that God oversees all things at all times. He knows the beginning and the end of a matter therefore, He knows the best time to withhold, to release and to act. God wasted nothing in Joseph’s life for those 22 years, and he isn’t planning on wasting yours either. God is using every second, every minute and every hour to better us and to give us life lessons that will enable us to be more and more like him each day in every way.

My friends, there is always a bigger picture with God. There is always more to the story. Instead of us worrying, and fighting with Him to make things happen right here and now, let us strive to remember who He is and who it is we are really serving. Think about Joseph’s life. If he worked all things together for good for Joseph, he will work all things together for good for you too and what you are going through now isn’t some unnecessary struggle. There’s a bigger picture unfolding here, so let us trust God and press on.

Prayer :

Lord Jesus, I know that you are bigger than I. Your thoughts are higher than my thoughts, and your ways are higher than my ways. I have accepted you as my Lord and Saviour and have placed my life completely in your hands. Though I may not be able to understand your plans for me at this moment, I know Lord that you are working diligently on my behalf. I am so unworthy of this, yet you do it so willingly. I just want to say thank you. All I ask of you today Lord is that you strengthen me, that you help me to trust you and that you give me a new vision to see that there is a bigger picture here even if I don’t know what it is just yet. Thank you for all that you have done, all that you are doing and all that you are going to do. In Jesus name I pray,

Amen.