Joseph the Dreamer

Do you sometimes lose focus on God's message because of the messenger? Be careful not to dismiss God's word to you when it comes clothed in an unappealing package. Keep Reading...

Genesis 37:5-7 - Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.”

Joseph wasn’t the first one to have a dream. His great-grandfather, Abraham, had the first recorded dream in the Bible. In this dream God spoke to him about the enslavement of his ancestors for 400 years. Genesis 15:12-14 Not a very nice dream! Now Joseph also had a prophetic dream, indicating what was to come in the future.

It is interesting how God often gives indications of what is to come - but the timing and exact sequence of events is left out. God is relational and works with us. Yes, he is the eternal God, knowing beginning and end. But, he never dominates us with his knowledge. He shows up in our day or in our dreams and carries on conversation with us in real time.

How we respond to the conversation of God is another story. Abraham responded with faith. Joseph's brothers, on the other hand, wanted to kill their brother, the dreamer. Joseph's dreams revealed the unbelief and deep emotional wounding that had already set into the family line.

We miss what God is doing when we hold onto comparison or judgement. Sometimes, we dismiss God's message because of the messenger. The truth is - God uses people, all of whom are broken by sin (including you) to accomplish his purposes.

Will you hear God's message, even when it comes through a less-than-perfect messenger? Even when the timing of the message doesn’t seem right (i.e. Joseph telling his brothers about his dream), would you pause to consider what God is saying?

After Joseph told his whole family about his second dream, the Bible says, "His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind." Genesis 37:11 Be alert and listen for God's promptings and indications of his movements, no matter where they come from. God can use the dream of a child or a seemingly incoherent phrase from an elderly person to converse with you.

Will you recognize God's conversation with you in this day? Don’t miss his words. He is speaking often, and he wants you to hear him.