we often miss our opportunities…

another part of joseph going through this open door is the ability to plant seed.  that’s part of finding GOD’s open doors.  pharaoh talked about this dream. 

genesis 41.17-21 (msg), in my dream i was standing on the bank of the nile. seven cows, shimmering with health, came up out of the river and grazed on the marsh grass. on their heels seven more cows, all skin and bones, came up. i’ve never seen uglier cows anywhere in egypt. then the seven skinny, ugly cows ate up the first seven healthy cows…

then joseph said, verses 29, 30, 34-40 (mgs), seven years of plenty are on their way throughout egypt. but on their heels will come seven years of famine…pharaoh needs to appoint managers throughout the country of egypt to organize it during the years of plenty. their job will be to collect all the food produced in the good years ahead and stockpile the grain under pharaoh's authority, storing it in the towns for food. this grain will be held back to be used later during the seven years of famine that are coming on egypt. this way the country won’t be devastated by the famine.” this seemed like a good idea to pharaoh and his officials. then pharaoh said to his officials, “isn’t this the man we need? are we going to find anyone else who has GOD's SPIRIT in him like this?”

joseph says, “why don’t you get some wise and discerning leaders to gather all this grain?”  every one else in all the country had said, “pharaoh, we don’t understand your dream.  we don’t have the wisdom to interpret it.”  only one man in the entire country has the wisdom to interpret this dream.  

joseph said, in verse 33, “so, pharaoh needs to look for a wise and experienced man and put him in charge of the country.”  he didn’t say he was willing to do it.  he just planted some seed. 

have you learned to do that when it comes to dreams?  sometimes we’re so excited about our dream that instead of planting seeds we try to rush through the door.  plant seeds sometimes with the right people and then watch what GOD does.  if it’s of GOD, it’s going to happen.  if it’s of GOD, HE’s going to bring it about.  sometimes we rush so quickly we break down the door rather than go through the open door of GOD’s dreams.

do we make our opportunities as people?  i think the answer is no.  GOD’s the one who is the LORD of all our opportunities.  we don’t make our opportunities, but i would say we often miss our opportunities, those GOD-given opportunities that come into our lives.  our ship comes in but we’re on the dock fishing.  our train comes in but we’re discouraged because our train didn’t come in last week so we’re moping somewhere off in the corner.  we miss the GOD-given opportunities in our lives. 

joseph didn’t miss GOD’s opportunity when it came because of the kind of faith he had, the kind of wisdom that he had. 

just a thought from the front porch…