Advent Day 17 - Joseph's Wait

 

Yesterday we explored how Abraham was compelled to wait for the promises of God to be fulfilled, and today we turn to his great-grandson, Joseph, the wearer of the multi-colored coat. Joseph saw in a dream that he would be a powerful man and that his brothers would one day bow down to him in homage. But the realization of that dream came only after a long and terrible wait. He was sold into slavery by those very brothers, falsely accused of sexual misconduct, humiliated, and finally sent to prison for seven years. Imagine what it must have been like to endure years in an ancient prison - the discomfort, the total lack of privacy, the terrible food in small amounts, sleeplessness, torture, and above all, hopelessness. This is what Joseph had to wait through before his dream came true in a most unexpected way. We've seen already this Advent how waiting is an "active" discipline in the Christian life, but it can also be a difficult one.