15 Oct ‘In His ways, in His time’

We often used to say to our fellow beings the line: ‘Don’t forget to remember me’. But at times, we may forget the same people and it need not be intentional. For the whole of humanity, the ability to forget is a blessing from God as it will keep away a lot of regret.

The story of Joseph is a well known one.  While he was in prison, he interpreted the dream of the cup bearer. He went on to tell the Cup bearer : “but when all goes well with you, remember me and show me kindness; mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this prison” [Gen 40:14]. But we see that he how he forgets the helping hand. “The chief Cup bearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot him.” [Gen 40:23]

In my perception, the cup bearer turned out to be a complete ungrateful individual. It’s shocking to see how he could have forgotten Joseph who helped him three days back in a time of desperation. Later we could see how God Himself turned the table in favour of Joseph – but only in His time.
Have you ever thought what would have happened to Joseph if the Chief Cup bearer had not forgotten him? Joseph could have possibly gotten out of prison as per the cup bearer’s recommendation. Further, he might have to return to his normal life, probably after receiving some gifts as a token of appreciation.

But God had different plans for Joseph.  God wanted to put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt.  It needs to be noted that Joseph was only thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh, the King of Egypt, as his second in command. For such an honour came, only after two years of prison sentence for a crime he did not commit. If he would have gotten a chance to get out of the prison on that very day, he could have missed the greater blessings of his life. And thus the dream that he had as a child became a reality.

We too have our dreams and plans for our life. Just like Joseph, we might have to wait for years to experience the greater blessings from the Lord. We often desire to see our dreams come true as per our timings. But if it’s on God’s schedule, the blessing will be as per His measure, as the verse says:  “what no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”. Sometimes not being remembered by others could be a blessing in disguise just like we see in Joseph’s life.

Ancy Jacob is part of Trivandrum ICEU, doing her B.A English Hon. 3rd yr