While You Were Sleeping
Have you ever taken a second to stop and consider the gravity of what God has done while you were sleeping? Try it. Sit outside and take it all in. Look around at what He has created. While you were still sleeping His wonders were constantly being performed. All of nature’s players took the stage and acted at His command (Lk. 8:22-25). The life of every creature was thriving without any effort from mankind. At no point does His wonder ever cease. Never has man had to wait for the sun to rise or for the moon to shine. We did not splash the flowers with their vibrant colors nor give the thunder its bass. We could not catch the wind if we tried, but our Creator inspires its speed and direction. Considering how much care God gives to the world around us, it is a privilege to observe His works and we truly have nothing to worry about, as He cares so much more for us (Matt. 6:30).
God’s general revelation is how He reveals Himself to us through nature and is something available to everyone. Yet, to be privy to His special revelation, we have to intently look upon His Word. In it we find King David who proclaims, “This is the day that the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it” (Ps. 118:24). David did not say this because his everyday life was perfect, we know better than that, he said it because he knew and trusted the One who made the day and constructed each event therein; thus, no matter what came his way he could rejoice and be glad.
God's sovereignty is evident when we look upon nature, but we often overlook how carefully He constructs the events of our own lives. Before we awake in the morning, the LORD has maintained the breath in our lungs, kept the blood flowing through our veins, and fought off a million of our enemies. Should we not then trust the God of all creation to orchestrate our every step?
Joseph was one who found it easy to rejoice and be glad each day; after all, he was favored by his father Jacob (Gen. 37:3). Yet, despite his good nature and optimism towards life, it is unlikely that Joseph was rejoicing the day his brothers sold him into slavery. After their murderous plot turned to one of human trafficking, Joseph had to face the fact that, to his brothers, the modern-day equivalent of $200 was worth never seeing him alive again. Joseph seemed to face one extremely unfortunate situation after another.
It would only get worse for Joseph. After being sold into slavery, he was falsely accused, used, and, to the physical eye, reduced to practically nothing (Gen. 40:20-23). But while Joseph was sleeping on a cold, hard floor in a prison cell, God's perfect plan for him was in the works. Joseph was summoned to Pharaoh, where he made a lasting impression that landed him the position of a lifetime. As the second most powerful man in the land, he was literally living his own dream (Gen. 41). No amount of evil scheming, shady transactions, baseless accusations, false imprisonment, or unfulfilled promises would keep Joseph from the plan that God had for his life.
When you are in God's perfect will, like Joseph, no one and nothing can keep you from His plan for your life. Satan will try, but He will fail. Murphy’s Law is in effect: everything that can go wrong will go wrong, but never allow physical reality to take you off course. Remember who made the day; rejoice, and be glad!
Joseph, being steadfast in his faith and having stood the test, received what God promised him, and we can too (James 1:12). Maybe you have a less-than-stellar family, a shady employer, or fickle friends—so did Joseph, and so did Jesus! If Joseph had given in to his misfortunes, the famine would have killed his family in Canaan, and the lineage of Jesus Christ would have been cut off before He was born, leaving mankind without salvation.
If you are being used by God, other people's lives, deliverance, and salvation are dependent upon you. Do not complain about the pit, the slave’s quarters, or the prison that you are currently in. Recognize it for what it is, a less-traveled path to the marvelous fate God has in store. He has a perfect plan that has always been in place, one that is working even while you are sleeping. Because He made the day, the sunshine looks magnificent whether you view it from the pit or the palace, so rejoice and be glad in it!
