Character Development in The School of Hard Knocks

“Until the time came to fulfill his dreams the Lord tested Joseph’s character.”  
Psalm 105:19 (NLT)

Joseph is one of my favorite characters in all the Bible. There are more chapters committed to his life than any other character in Genesis. Joseph was a dreamer, overconfident and self-assured. He was the favored of his father, more than his ten older brothers, which no doubt made him cocky. Despite his favored position, and perhaps because of it, Joseph had to suffer a number of painful hardships that God would use to shape his character and prepare him for greatness. God gave Joseph a dream. But God was more concerned with Joseph’s character than his comfort.

As with so many other great men and women of the Bible, it seems to be a pattern that they experienced hardships and setbacks that caused their dreams to fade over time. David was anointed to be the next king, but he spent over a decade in obscurity, hiding from Saul until God had prepared his character for the position. Moses spent 40 years in the wilderness alone before he was ready for the job of delivering Israel from Egypt. Abraham was promised a child, only to wait 25 years, wondering how it could even be possible by the time Isaac was born.

Sometimes, we encounter painful setbacks and hardships that seem to fly in the face of all we believe and overshadow our dreams, causing us to lose hope of them ever becoming reality.  When this happens, we need to consider what the Bible says in Psalm 105:19 (NLT), “Until the time came to fulfill his dreams the Lord tested Joseph’s character.”  

If you’re in the waiting room of life, perhaps the right question to ask is not, “Will my dreams ever come true?” but rather, “In what ways is God shaping my character to prepare me for His assignment?” Then, yield to His hands as they mold you into the vessel that He can use. Take heart, as the next verse in Psalm 105 says, “Then Pharaoh sent for (Joseph) and set him free…”  

Don’t give up! God always writes the last chapter!

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Another important part of your daily devotional is spending time with God in prayer. The Woodlands Church Prayer Board lists prayer requests submitted by our members and provides a way to send them some encouragement by using a button on the page to let them know that you prayed for them. Whether you use the Prayer Board, or pray from your heart, the goal is to build the habit of incorporating prayer into your quiet time.

Need prayer yourself? Let us know by submitting a prayer request on the Woodlands Church Prayer Board.