The Delay | Genesis 40-41
Have you ever had your flight delayed? There has been a 7.6% increase in flight delays this year. RSW (Fort Myers) has the second highest rate of cancellations in the country. According to a recent CBS report, flight delays and cancellations could continue for the next 10 years because of workforce shortage. No one likes being delayed. Delays often have a chain reaction: The other day, my family was delayed on a flight to Atlanta. We land, run to the connecting gate, with 18 minutes before the plane was scheduled to take off. The door was still open, we walk up to get on the plane, but the Delta woman said, “You are two minutes, too late.” She then shut the door. Being two minutes late caused us to wait 3 hours. The Bible is a book of waiting: Noah, Abraham, Moses, Israel, Elijah, and Paul all waited. Isaiah 30:18 says, “Therefore the LORD waits to be gracious to you.” But the delay doesn’t seem to be very gracious. But God has design in the delay: God uses a delay to protect us from difficulties, or to prepare us for difficulties or develops us in the difficulties. The one true thing about God is that He is never in a hurry and is always right on time.
The key phrase in Joseph’s story is, “The LORD was with Joseph.” The question we have asked in this series is, “What would it look like in my life if I trusted that God’s dream for my life is better than my dream for my life and His timing is better than my timing?” In the life of Joseph, we see that delays are not God’s denials but they are a part of the plan according to God’s providence. Providence: “God, our heavenly Father, is working in and through all things by his wisdom and power for the good of his people and the glory of His name.” What we have learned about God’s providence is that at times, even though God may seem hidden and very little is happening, that does not mean that He is not active and continuously working. Chapters 40 and 41, take us through Joseph’s lowest and highest point. In Chapter 40 and 41, we learn that God has a design in the delay and we must be hopeful in suffering and humble in success.