City Life Starter

Written by Stefan Johnsson

The Word

After two whole years, Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing by the Nile, ² and behold, there came up out of the Nile seven cows, attractive and plump, and they fed in the reed grass. ³ And behold, seven other cows, ugly and thin, came up out of the Nile after them, and stood by the other cows on the bank of the Nile. ⁴ And the ugly, thin cows ate up the seven attractive, plump cows. And Pharaoh awoke. ⁵ And he fell asleep and dreamed a second time. And behold, seven ears of grain, plump and good, were growing on one stalk. ⁶ And behold, after them sprouted seven ears, thin and blighted by the east wind. ⁷ And the thin ears swallowed up the seven plump, full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and behold, it was a dream. ⁸ So in the morning his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt and all its wise men. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was none who could interpret them to Pharaoh.

⁹ Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “I remember my offenses today. ¹⁰ When Pharaoh was angry with his servants and put me and the chief baker in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, ¹¹ we dreamed on the same night, he and I, each having a dream with its own interpretation. ¹² A young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. When we told him, he interpreted our dreams to us, giving an interpretation to each man according to his dream. ¹³ And as he interpreted to us, so it came about. I was restored to my office, and the baker was hanged.”

Genesis 41:1-13 (ESV)

Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. ² It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. ³ So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” ⁴ But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

⁵ Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. ⁶ So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. ⁷ Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.”

John 11:1-7

Reflection

Joseph must’ve felt depressed while in jail. He thought he had a way out when he told the cupbearer to remember him so that he could plead his case to Pharaoh for his release. He probably, at this point, never fully knew when or if he would get out of prison. But, Joseph had faith in God and worked both with integrity and honesty while in prison. So for two more years he had to wait and may have felt as if anything he did was not good enough to get out from the circumstances he was in. He must’ve lost hope that the cupbearer would tell Pharaoh about him or his interpretation of the dreams.

We do not know in what state of mind Joseph was in when God acted. What we do know is that it is very clear that it was God who rescued Joseph from prison, not anything Joseph did. God put Joseph in the right place and the right time so that when Pharaoh received his dreams, Joseph would be available to help him interpret with the wisdom and guidance that God provided. Who knows where Joseph would’ve been had he been released two years earlier? No matter the possibilities, we do know that Joseph had to attribute this situation to God and give Him the glory for his release and the right interpretations of Pharaoh’s dreams.

Jesus, in raising Lazarus from the dead, also did not act as quickly as everyone would’ve liked. He spent two more days where he was at before returning to Bethany. And at this point, Lazarus had been dead for three days when Jesus arrived. But, this was the perfect timing because a person being dead for three days was a sign that it was final and no one could’ve faked it. So when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, it was truly miraculous and everyone would’ve known that Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit and sent by God the Father (well, except for those pigheaded Pharisees and Scribes).

Application

Many of us do not live with patience in mind. We want God to act now, right away, and immediately. This is because we have the world at our fingertips and smartphones that can bring us everything we want when we want it. But God does not act this way. He is trying to teach us to be reserved, able to act with wisdom, and not to rush into choices that will cause us grief. God also wants us to know that it was Him who acted on our behalf in His timing, so we will glorify Him.

If you are in a situation today and experiencing trials or tribulations, be aware that God is with you and is only waiting for the right timing when you are ready to receive His blessing.

Prayer

Father in heaven, You know how impatient I am and that I do not like waiting for Your perfect timing. Please build in me a patient heart and one that knows that You will act when the time is right. Let me not lose my faith in You and that You are listening to my prayers and petitions. In the name of Jesus I pray, amen.