The Dream That Was Almost Forgotten
The Dream That Was Almost Forgotten
The Lord was with Joseph in Potiphar's house. Potiphar was kind to Joseph and made him captain over all his slaves. And then something happened to spoil it all!
It was another lie. This time it was Potiphar's wife who told the lie. She told Potiphar that Joseph had done something very wicked. And Potiphar believed her and put Joseph in - of all places - PRISON!
This was REAL trouble. But Joseph had been in trouble before, and by this time he knew that the best thing to do in trouble was to behave himself. He worked hard, and the jailer was kind to him. He worked harder still, and the jailer began to trust him. He worked harder than EVER - and the jailer made him captain over all the other prisoners!
Joseph wondered, as the months went by, if he would ever get out of prison. He knew they wouldn't let him out for no reason at all. Something SPECIAL would have to happen. And something did. It was another dream.
This time it wasn't Joseph who had the dream. It was another prisoner. He was the butler to Pharaoh, the great king of Egypt, and he had such a strange dream that he told Joseph about it.
"I dreamed," he said, "that there was a vine in front of me. It had three branches. First the vine had buds on it, and then flowers - and then grapes! I squeezed the grape juice into a cup and gave it to Pharaoh. What does this dream mean?"
"It means," said Joseph, "that in three days you will be out of prison and back to your job as butler in the palace."
And it happened - just as Joseph said it would! Three days later, Pharaoh had a birthday party and sent for his butler to come back to the palace!
"Now," said Joseph, as the butler left, "will you do me a favor? Will you tell the king I have done no wrong, and ask him to get me out of this prison?"
The butler promised and went happily on his way.
The days went by, and Joseph waited.
The weeks went by,
and the months-
and STILL Joseph waited.
The butler had forgotten his promise! And Joseph thought the dream was forgotten, and he wouldn't get out of prison after all. But he was wrong.
The butler had forgotten him. But GOD hadn't forgotten him. And God knew the butler would some day remember that dream, even if it took a long, LONG time.
THINK!
Things look pretty grim for Joseph, don't they? He's depending on somebody's promise, to get out of prison. Whose? Do you think that might be a mistake? Why? Can people always keep their promises? Does God? Who is really watching over Joseph - God or the butler?
A VERSE TO LEARN
"God will be with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee."
(I Chronicles 28:20)