There has been much written and said about the restoration of prophetic and apostolic ministry in the church. Even now God is releasing a prophetic anointing in the church and bringing a renewal of spiritual power and authority. We rejoice in the Lord's activity and acknowledge that this is His doing and these are His "gifts of grace" (charismata).

As wonderful as this is, it is but a trickle that will become a flow that will become a river that will become a flood. To borrow the language of Ezekiel, the water that is at our ankles will rise to our knees, then to our loins and over our heads (Ezk. 47:3-5).

Many of us are waiting and longing for the full release of this giftedness. Scripture teaches us not only to desire spiritual gifts, but to earnestly desire them (1 Cor. 14:1). Perhaps someone is reading this who has been praying and seeking God diligently for a prophetic anointing. And because it seems to delay and is long in coming, you have become disheartened.

Recently the Lord began to speak to me concerning this matter. He whispered these words in my heart: "Fulfilling my promise to you is a simple matter for me. The greater and more demanding task is to prepare you to receive my fullness."

Immediately I thought of Joseph. As a teenager, Joseph received an incredible promise from God. But at 17, he was too immature to receive that promise. Joseph was a tattletale who brought bad reports about his brothers to Jacob (Gen. 37:2). There was a cockiness and arrogance about him, expressed in his gloating over his brothers and even his father. As Jacob's favorite son it is likely that he was somewhat "spoiled." He lacked discernment -- he did not perceive the hostility of his brothers.

But God saw something in his heart that only needed to be fashioned by the Father and forged in a furnace. The chain of events that took Joseph from his father's tents to Egypt's dungeon were orchestrated by God Himself to prepare His servant to receive the God-given dream that was on deposit in his heart.

For 13 years, the Lord molded Joseph's heart like clay in the potter's hand. Psalms 105:19 says: "Until the time that his word came to pass, the word of the LORD tested him." In the prison God was grooming him for the throne.

Finally, after 13 years, the Lord looked into Joseph's heart and said, "He's ready." It only takes a few seconds to say "13 years." But 13 years is a long time to walk in a promise from God -- a dreadfully long time when you're waiting in a dungeon.

Joseph was summoned from the prison to Pharaoh's court and in a matter of moments his dream became a reality. In less than 24 hours God's promise to him was completely fulfilled. Joseph's head must have been spinning!

He woke up in prison; he went to bed in the palace. In the morning he had a ball and chain around his ankle; by night time he had a gold chain around his neck. For breakfast, he had bread and water; for dinner he ate meat at the king's table.

A dream that he had waited for, longed for, and perhaps had even given up on, became a reality. Against all odds, in impossible circumstances, and at the most unlikely time God was faithful to keep His word.

Fulfilling His promise to Joseph only took a few hours. Preparing Joseph to receive that promise took 13 years and a dungeon. The preparation, the shaping and molding is always the more demanding task.

The Joseph that came out of the dungeon was much different from the Joseph who went into the dungeon. The cockiness and arrogance was gone. He had become a man of compassion and forgiveness. Have you ever wondered what it must have been like at Potiphar's house when Potiphar went home that evening and said, "Hey honey, guess who the new Prime Minister is"?

In the prison, a teenage boy was transformed into a man in whom the Spirit of God dwelt (Gen. 41:38).

Recently I was earnestly seeking the Lord for power and knowledge. I was praying from Col. 1:9: "Lord fill me with the knowledge of your will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding."

Quietly, but firmly, I heard the Spirit ask, "Why?" Someone has said that when the omniscient God asks you a question, He is not looking for information. The Lord's question stopped me in my tracks. "Why?," the voiced repeated.

As I pondered the question, the Lord directed me to the rest of the passage (vv. 10-12):

We often long for greater anointing and to go deeper with God. We desire greater fruitfulness and to be used of God. That hunger for God is the hunger that God Himself has placed inside of us. Our problem is this: we often aspire to a place of ministry that exceeds our present level of maturity.

Our loving Father knows that we are not yet ready to receive the fullness of His blessing, so, at His arrangements a camel caravan stops at our house. God's greater work is not in fulfilling a dream, but in changing the dreamer. In the crucible of change, what we become for His glory is infinitely greater than what we accomplish for His work.

We sometimes forget this. Our focus is on 1 Cor. 12. But perhaps God's focus is on 1 Cor. 13. We want to speak with prophetic utterances. But God is more concerned that we learn to speak gently to our neighbor and graciously to our enemies. While we long for miracles, the Lord is pointing to tired, dirty feet in need of a basin of water.

The dream in your heart was conceived there by the Holy Spirit. Do not become impatient and rush ahead of God. Allow the testing of your faith to have its perfect work. God's delays are not God's denials. The dream is real and His promise is true. He's just waiting for you to grow.

Fulfilling His promise to you can be accomplished in a matter of moments. Preparing you to receive that promise may be the work of a lifetime.

Remember: dungeons always come before diadems.
 
 
 
 
 

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