Always Dream

As a young boy the Lord gave Joseph dreams.  These dreams showed Joseph accomplishing great things and his father and brothers bowing before him.  Joseph enjoyed talking about his dreams and this infuriated his brothers.  Increasing the tension even more with his siblings, their father gifted Joseph with a multi-colored coat that he wore all the time.

One day, Joseph headed out to the fields in search of his brothers.  They couldn't miss his coming as they saw the brightness of his coat as he approached.  A deep root of anger and jealousy simmered in their hearts, and now an ideal situation had arisen for them to lash out and rid their lives of the one that vexed them.

As they ate and contemplated their exact plan of action, Joseph sat at the bottom of the dried out well.  Certainly he must have wondered if his dreams had actually come from the Lord now.  As his brothers decided to sell him off to some travelers instead of killing him, he still probably questioned the validity of his dreams.

However, Joseph made the best of his circumstances and no matter where he landed he found favor with those in authority over him.  Eventually he rose to a position of second in charge in the land of Egypt.  It was during a great famine in the land that his life crosses paths with his brothers again.  He instantly recognized them, but they remained clueless about his identity until they past the test Joseph placed before them to confirm whether their hearts had changed since their last encounter.

His brothers never really understood the heart of Joseph until the passing of their father.  They were still reeling in guilt and fear for their lives.  However, Joseph looked at them and with full trust in how the Lord worked in his life he said to his brothers, "What you meant for evil against me the Lord used for good for the preservation of many lives."

Whether we receive true visions or just a dream implanted within our hearts, we need to realize that Jesus fulfills the dreams submitted to honoring and glorifying the Lord.  Those dreams come in unexpected ways and most of the time in unexpected times.  Just like Joseph needed pride removed before his dreams came true, we too might need some heart preparation before our dreams come to pass.

For now, may we place all our dreams in our Savior's hand and trust the fulfillment of them to His timing and His way.  His plans will be best for everyone involved.