So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt. Gen 45:8

Fast forward our story to when God is talking to Joseph’s descendents a few generations later. Here’s what God says to them in Deut 6:10-12: “10 When the Lord your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you – a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, 11 houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant – then when you eat and are satisfied, 12 be careful that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.”

Aha! Basically put, when the dream is finally fulfilled, don’t forget who gave it to you and made it come to pass. You see, when we need God to pull through for us, we pray like mad. When he pulls through, we don’t need him anymore. Correct? No, wrong, but it’s our actions that suggest that.

Once the dream has come through, Joseph serves faithfully as he always has. He remains humble and honours Pharaoh, his boss. He does not seek revenge on his brothers whose treatment of him was atrocious and inexcusable; he has not held a grudge all these years. Most importantly, he never forgets who brought him to this place and placed him in this position of authority. He knows that everything he has gone through and the position of influence God has put him in was for the ultimate purpose of service to others for God’s glory and not for his own glory.

You and I need that same perspective and also to remain humble and faithful when things are going well for us and when we would otherwise (wrongly) find reason to stop pressing into God. Let us keep the right perspective. The Lord would say to us what he said to the Israelites, “Do not forget the Lord”.

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