Wow! I want to talk about the title of this writing. I woke up one morning feeling great. God had given me a dream—a dream that led to a great destination—but the only thing that was not certain was how I would get there.
Have you ever had God show you in a dream, or maybe a vision, your destination, your calling, as one may say, or something that would point to a good future for your life, but you often wondered about the path you would need to take to get there?
Well, sometimes God does not show us the path. Or sometimes we stumble onto a path that comes with setbacks. Yes, setbacks. We don’t want to hear that sometimes.
Take a look at the life of Joseph.
In Genesis 37:5, the Bible spoke about Joseph having a dream. As we continue to talk about what is in your hands, Joseph had a dream.
The dream that Joseph told his brothers was:
“For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf.”
Obeisance is a respectful bow or act of submission, like the sheaves bowing to Joseph’s sheaf. In essence, Joseph dreamed that his sheaf of grain stood upright while his brothers’ sheaves gathered around and bowed to it, symbolizing his future authority over them.
When Joseph told his brothers the dream, he began to experience major setbacks—things that even put his life in danger. But God was at his side all along.
In Genesis 37, the dreams pointed toward a future in which Joseph would be elevated, and his family would bow before him. But Joseph didn’t know how he would get there.
God has given us the testimonies of these men and women so we can see what they went through in biblical times, be encouraged, and relate their lives to our own. The lives they lived were not easy, but reading and meditating on their stories can give us hope that we, too, can overcome our setbacks and emerge victorious on the other side.
Sometimes we know our destination, purpose, or calling. We may even have a clear dream about our future, but we are not seeing the journey.
Like I said at the beginning of my writing, I have been praying about a job, and during my waiting season, I have been blogging about what it is like to wait, to praise, to spend time in prayer, to fast, and to do things that would elevate and strengthen my walk with Christ.
I can tell you the truth: it is not an easy life when you are a single parent, trusting God to provide, not knowing which way to turn, and depending only on God.
This is a time to reflect on the destination God has shown you in a dream and on the setbacks you have experienced along the way.
For some of you, you are still in a setback.
Some of you don’t know your destination yet—the God-given purpose that you’re here to accomplish for Him.
We all have a purpose in this life.
Have you prayed and asked God to show you your purpose? Or even your destination—your future?
Once you find that genuine place in Christ to spend time with Him and seek Him, He will show you great and mighty things for your life.
If you think Joseph’s first dream was not enough, and seeing it shook up his brothers, remember that God gave these dreams. The dream stirred up his brothers so much that they said unto him in (Genesis 37:8:)
“Shalt thou indeed reign over us? Or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us?”
God will take the very meek and seemingly insignificant person to accomplish His will.
God knew that one day the land would experience a famine, and He needed someone He knew would obey Him. He saw Joseph’s heart.
The Bible goes on to share yet another dream that Joseph had. (Genesis 37:9) says:
“Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me.”
After Joseph told his father the dream, his father rebuked him but observed the saying, while his brothers envied him.
All in all, Joseph had a tough life. He had to carry that dream through circumstances that seemed completely at odds with it.
Are you experiencing a situation similar to Joseph’s?
I was told by three prophetic pastors, in different encounters, that I would be an evangelist and that I have a calling and an anointing on my life. I was told this at an early age.
I knew that, though, because all my heart wanted was to follow after the things of God. I have had, and always have had, a passion for serving and living my life to honor God.
But as you know, life comes with all its challenges, hardships, and difficulties. There were many setbacks after setbacks.
Sometimes, what He allows you to pass through may not be to break you, but to make you stronger in Him.
I had a dream that I would be in ministry and ministering to many people. The Holy Spirit would move through me, and people were being healed spiritually, emotionally, physically, and psychologically. This had been confirmed to me before.
I am holding on to the promise of the prophetic word, along with the many dreams and visions where God has shown me what He would eventually do in my life.
But losing job after job was one of the major setbacks in my life on the road to where He is carrying me.
Check out my Begin Series to read about it.
Now, to unfold Joseph’s setbacks, we have to look closely at the family rivalry and jealousy that developed among his brothers and how it eventually led Joseph from the dream → to the pit → to slavery.
Joseph’s brothers already hated him because of the love their father showed him. When Joseph shared his dreams with them, their hatred and jealousy grew even stronger. What Joseph saw as a dream of his future, his brothers saw as a reason to envy him.
One day, Joseph’s father sent him to check on his brothers while they were feeding the flock. Joseph went in obedience, not knowing that he was walking straight into one of the greatest setbacks of his life.
When his brothers saw him coming from a distance, they began plotting against him.
“And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him.” (Genesis 37:18)
Think about that for a moment.
Joseph had received a dream from God concerning his future, but now the very people closest to him were plotting to destroy him. The dream showed Joseph one thing, but his present circumstances looked completely different.
Have you ever received something from God and then watched your circumstances seem to move in the opposite direction?
Joseph’s brothers stripped him of his coat and threw him into an empty pit. The Bible says:
“And they took him, and cast him into a pit: and the pit was empty, there was no water in it.” (Genesis 37:24)
Imagine Joseph sitting in that pit.
What happened to the dream?
What happened to the destination he had seen?
Would you still trust God when the pit looks nothing like the promise?
Sometimes, the road to where God is taking you may not look anything like what you expected. A setback can make you question whether what God showed you will ever come to pass.
But the pit was not Joseph’s destination.
His brothers eventually lifted him out of the pit and sold him to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver. They carried Joseph away into Egypt.
Joseph went from being his father’s beloved son to becoming a slave in a foreign land.
What looked like Joseph was getting farther away from his dream was actually moving him toward the very land where part of that dream would eventually be fulfilled.
The dream was still in Joseph’s hands.
The circumstances had changed, but what God had shown him had not.
Can you continue carrying what God placed in your hands when your circumstances make you question whether you heard Him correctly?
So when you find yourself facing a setback, don’t let what you see around you make you forget what God has placed within you.
The pit is not always the end of the story.
Sometimes it is only one part of the journey toward the destination.
What are you carrying in your hands today that your circumstances are trying to make you give up on?
To God be the glory for the great things He has done.
Stay Tuned for Part 5: Remain Faithful When Your Integrity Is Tested
Joseph’s story did not end in the pit or in slavery. His journey would continue in Potiphar’s house, where his faithfulness and integrity would be tested.
In Part 5, we’ll continue Joseph’s journey and see what happens when doing the right thing still leads to another setback—and why remaining faithful to God matters even when it costs you something.
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