The Secret Place ... Primary Chronicle

The Cup of Dreams (the Joseph anointing) …the chronicle. …copyright 2003 …Glenda Wilson

As a dreamer, whether awake or asleep I find that, I see the dream or vision in almost everything that I see. In my mind, this illustration began as something simple and somewhat cutesy. However, with God, nothing is ever simple. Many times we cannot see, what we cannot see, because we are so busy looking at what we can see. I have come to learn that God always has a deeper than surface purpose in what He gives me. I could feel the Joseph anointing in the cup. This piece sat for a while. I was thinking it was finished. Then one day I was prompted to bring it back out. Suddenly it no longer seemed to feel right. I (God) decided to place bread in the illustration. I thought well –that makes sense, you usually have pastries at a tea party. I had no idea the revelation that I was about to receive about the life of Joseph.

Joseph was a dreamer; his life was marked with faithfulness and favor. Joseph was also a type and shadow of Jesus. Both were marked for destiny, though for many years the surroundings, the circumstances, and the journey never seemed to be an indicator. In their youthful humanity, neither realized the depth of ridicule, rejection, abuse, and accusations that they would encounter on the road less traveled.

The signs at almost every intersection of Joseph’s journey always seemed to read “Disaster and “Worse Disaster”. I am certain he felt being sold into captivity in Egypt was a huge mistake. I am convinced he thought, “Now God, did you doze off and lift your hand of favor from my life?”

Captivity was not what young Joseph saw in his cup of dreams –he saw ruling and reigning. In John 16:12 Jesus said, I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. If he told us what the dream would entail, we would never embrace the dream.

In essence, a faithful Joseph did rule and reign over the circumstances, but the circumstances along the way were not the ones he had pictured. God’s right place does not always look like the place we would have chosen. Egypt was nowhere on the road map that Joseph had planned. (Prov 16:9 NIV) In his heart, a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.

In our immaturity, we seem to see what we want to see in the dream that God gives us. We see it as being about us. It is ironic that Joseph’s first dream was about grain, but in his nearsightedness, his focus was on the sheaves bowing down to him. The second was about the sun, moon, and eleven stars bowing down. His dreams were dual purposed and more far-reaching than he could ever have grasped.

(Gen 37:7 NIV) We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it."

 (Gen 37:9 NIV) Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. "Listen," he said”, I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me."

He related the eleven stars to his brothers, his immediate kindred –not realizing that the eleven also related to another savior who had eleven star disciples. Nor did he realize the sun and moon represented the creation that would worship the Son who would save the world instead of a nation. The ruler that would one day sit at the right hand of the Father until His enemies were made His footstool.

Somewhere on the road from the pit to the prison to the palace, Joseph’s insight and perspective changed. His ability to interpret dreams became sharper. As he matured, he experienced a paradigm shift in his spirit; --from looking at what the dream could do for him to what the dream could do for the kingdom. He went from looking at being “sold out” to captivity to being “sold out” to the big picture –God’s purpose for the dream.

Joseph’s history or journey is not one that we would like to model; but we all really like his destiny. I am sure that Joseph did not know that he would be considered a type and shadow of a man in the future –the man Christ Jesus –the faithful, yet suffering servant that would ultimately rule and reign with God. Jesus paralleled his broken body to bread –He (God) broke it and blessed it and it now goes out to the nations of the world.

Yes, Joseph’s anointing was to rule and reign, but only so, that he would be able to accomplish God’s purpose of sending bread to the nations.