Would we live differently if we knew with absolute, 100% certainty that God would be with us? I think the resounding answer to that question is: YES! Sadly, even as believers we often don’t live with the confidence that God is with us. Someone who did make decisions with that absolute certainty was Joseph. Joseph’s story is recorded for us in the Bible (Genesis 37-50) and teaches us a lesson that will change our lives: trust God.
Joseph was a dreamer. He dreamt that one day his family would work for him and that didn’t go over so well. In fact, his family hated him and his brothers sold into him slavery. But God was with Joseph.
Joseph’s story shows us that God raises up dreams from broken places. Joseph was raised in a broken environment – favored by his father and hated by his brothers. Many of us come from broken homes as well. God reaches down into our broken situations and gives us dreams. He is the source of dreams worth dreaming – some dreams don’t come from God and aren’t worth pursuing. Joseph’s dreams did come from God and, in spite of all obstacles, he pursued them.
Joseph’s example also teaches us that with God’s dreams, clarity follows confidence. We like to make decisions after we have clarity. Usually, our human clarity is what gives us confidence. God wants us to trust Him – to have confidence in Him – before we act. This trust asks us to step into the unknown without clarity, but with full God-confidence. Afterward, we can look back and get clarity. Only then will we see God’s hand on our lives, just like God’s hand was clearly over Joseph’s life.
Joseph boldly walked with the confidence that God was with him. God is with us too. We can dream big because of Him. We don’t have to wait for clarity before timidly making decisions. Will you choose to live with full God-confidence?