On Being A Small Group Leader

Two Full Years

So, I’m thinking a lot about time right now.

The story of Joseph in the Old Testament really set me down this path. He is imprisoned after his boss’ wife makes a false rape accusation against him. He helps out a guy with a dream interpretation, and the guy promises to help Joseph when he gets out of prison. Instead, he forgets. So, more time in the pokey for Joseph.

In fact, Genesis 41:1 starts off this way -- “When two full years had passed”.

Wow!

The desperation of that phrase really hit me. Two FULL years. TWO full years. Two full YEARS.

Joseph is already in prison because he stood up for righteous living by rejecting the advances of his boss’ wife (a rejection that led to the false rape charge). Then, he helps a fellow prisoner out. This guy reneges on his promise, and Joseph sits in prison for two more years.

104 weeks.

728 days.

17,472 long, lonely hours.

I wonder if he felt betrayed by doing the right thing, and being tossed in prison for it. I wonder if he ever shook his fist at God for forgetting him. I wonder how much his faith wavered.

It seems that one of the best ways God forges our character is to make us wait. He uses time to his advantage to mould us and force us to rely on Him. Our greatest mistakes happen when we circumvent time to get what we want on our own timetable.

There have been two occasions when the time thing really worked out for me, and one when it hasn’t.

The first was when I was single, and wanted to be married. I consciously chose to wait as long as it would take to find someone who would fit me emotionally and spiritually. During that time, people laughed at me, lectured me, and even questioned if I "liked girls".

It was 7 long years before I met Karen, but thank God I waited! Yesterday was our 18th anniversary, and it’s been sheer bliss to be married to her.

The second was when we wanted to move to Pittsburgh. We invested five years of praying before the doors finally opened. It was hard to wait, and we lived in a spiritual desert until then. But, when the timing was right, the circumstances fell together in miraculous ways. Living here is the first time since we’ve been married that we felt like we were “home”. The wait was worth it.

I’m struggling with the time factor in relationship to health matters. I’ve been waiting for a long time for the persistent pain I live with to go away. I’ve accepted the fact that the pain may be something God has chosen for me, for reasons only He understands. But, I still get angry and still think I’m being “picked on”. And, I want it to stop.

I don’t understand my circumstances, and I don’t always like them. I don’t always like trusting God -- but where else can I turn? He is in control, and He knows best. My challenge is to believe that.

posted by Matt @ 1:09 PM