Have you ever gotten glimpses of what you're supposed to do, or be in life? Maybe it was just a mental image, an idea or a thought that just seemed to pass through your mind every now and then.
For me, my dream was to write. I didn't know how I would do it, or who I would write to. I didn't even know what I would write. Without all of the details, it often felt more like a passing fancy than a call from God.
Jacob's favorite son, Joseph, was given glimpses of his future when he was only 17 years old. Imagine if your teenager came to you and said that he had a dream in which the whole family bowed down to him! Of course, you'd be thrilled!
Here's his family's response:
His dad: "What is this dream you've dreamed? Shall your mother and I and your brothers indeed come to bow down to the earth before you?" (Genesis 37:10)
His brothers: (a little harsher): 'Shall you indeed have dominion over us?' And they hated him all the more for his dreams and his words. (Genesis 37:8)
You probably know how the rest of the story goes. In jealousy, the brothers faked his death and sold him as a slave. He ended up as a servant to a powerful Egyptian captain. Joseph oversaw the all of the affairs of the Egyptian's house. That is, until he was wrongly accused of sexually assaulting the captain's wife. Then he was thrown in jail. After a time, Pharaoh had some dreams and Joseph was called (from prison) to interpret them. Joseph gave the correct interpretation and a plan that would help Pharaoh get through the time of famine (that was revealed through the dreams).
Now the Bible tells us that Joseph was 30 years old when Pharaoh put him in charge over the land of Egypt. Then there were another seven years of abundance before the prophesied famine. We know that he was at least 37 years old when his brothers came to Egypt in search of food. That is when they bowed down to him as royalty. Twenty years later!
God gives previews, not the whole movie
Joseph could never have guessed the path he was going to take in order to fulfill the dreams God gave to him. You won't be able to either. That's probably a good thing. God knows the end of a matter at the beginning. He knows exactly what He has planned for you, but He only gives you a preview. God will show you a trailer of your life, but not the whole movie. Be honest, if you knew the whole thing, you'd probably back out.
God knows how to get us to the place where He called us. Joseph's brothers delivered him right to the place of his destiny! Isn't that funny? The ones who betrayed him just got him closer to fulfilling the dream they hated!
Joseph endured many setbacks and disappointments on the way to his destination. But God was filling him with combustible material--dynamite energy that would one day explode into the fulfillment of his destiny.
Do not allow setbacks and disappointments to cause you to quit. You will get to your destination if you don't give up.
No one can disarm the explosive power that is in you--except you.