Found WaitingSample

DISAPPOINTED -

Picture this: He sits alone in a cold room. The grey stone walls reflect his inner turmoil as he struggles to keep the small spark of hope alive. He knew the LORD was with him and that he was a successful man. But it did not feel that way. He remembers how he had counted the hours in anticipation. But hours slowly turned into days, and days into weeks. By the time two years had passed, he had begun to forget the faces of the men he had once helped. They sat in this same room with him, worry riddling their faces as they tried to understand a mysterious occurrence the previous night. Both of them had had dreams - strange dreams. With the wisdom of the LORD, he had interpreted their dilemmas. And just as he had explained, it had come to pass. One was sent weeping to the gallows, while the other was reinstated in the palace of Pharaoh. “Remember me!” he exclaimed towards the latter man as the prison guards collected him from the room. He frantically screamed his plea again, but it was only met with the echoes of his own voice. He remembers how his expectations withered as his only chance for vindication walked out a free man. The abrupt swing of the prison doors jolts him out of thought. “Get ready! Pharaoh summons you,” the voice of the prison guard thunders.

Write down your answers to these questions in your journal:

• When promises or expectations seem delayed, how do you handle the disappointment?
• How does Joseph’s story in Genesis 40–41 challenge your perspective on God’s timing during seasons of waiting?