Clandestine

    Have you ever wanted something so much you could taste or almost feel it, but at the time it just did not happen?  There is a clandestine reason.  God has His timing and reasons.  For me, He almost always makes me wait a long time for what I want.  He knows I will appreciate it so much more if I have to work for it or have to go without.  The point is that we have to trust God while we wait even if it feels like it will never happen.  Clandestine is to conduct aspects of life in secret.  He does not reveal everything to everyone at all times.  Life would be boring, but when the secret is revealed it is an amazing thing.  We all have secret or private aspects to the heart.  You may never say them out loud, but God knows your clandestine heart.  His work is clandestine on yours and everyone's behalf.

    Joseph was forgotten in prison for two years until the Pharaoh had two disturbing dreams that could not be interpreted.  You know the kind of dreams that make it where you don't even want to go to sleep.  This is when the cup bearer finally remembered Joseph.  The Pharaoh wanted answers and he wanted to be able to sleep, so he sent for Joseph.  This is how God can be clandestine.  Joseph was able to give the Pharaoh some peace with explaining the dreams.  They were telling the Pharaoh what the next few years would look like: seven years of prosperity, then seven years of severe famine.  This warning allowed them time to prepare.  They stored a fifth of the harvest for the seven good years, so there would be food during the seven hungry years.  Pharaoh was so impressed with how Joseph conducted himself that he put Joseph in charge of the undertaking.

    Joseph went from spoiled child to slave to head of a wealthy household to prison to second in command to the Pharaoh by the time he was 30.  I can only imagine all the emotions that were going on inside of Joseph when the Pharaoh gave him the signet ring.   That ring was the ring of power.  It meant that all Joseph did was in the Pharaoh's name and he could do anything he wanted.  He chose to do the job with integrity and honor.  The Pharaoh gave him an Egyptian name to fit the position and a wife.  They had two sons before the famine hit.  His sons were Manasseh and Ephraim.  Joseph had a good life after a period of things being truly horrible.

Genesis 41