I have often heard it said that the darkest hour comes just before the dawn. I wondered once if this was a quote from the Bible, but I now realise it’s not. However, I saw this for myself in the natural when a close friend and I had the crazy idea of going back to our childhood and camping out in her garden overnight. It was mid-summer, so sunrise came early. We chose a warm night ideal for being outside. Yet an hour or so before the birds began their early morning song, a cold breeze started blowing, and the night sky seemed to be at its darkest. I would have to say this was the most eery part of the night, as I lay awake waiting for dawn. Then I saw the first glimmer of light, which seemed all the brighter and more hopeful given the darkness that had gone before. The first bird chirped, and a new day dawned – full of hope and promise. It has only been in the last few years that I have started noticing and appreciating such things, as I realise how many of god’s best lessons are taught through his marvellous creation.
On another occasion, just days after our marriage, my husband and I watched the sunrise standing on the roof of the Spanish villa where we spent our honeymoon. When we went up there all was black. Then a tiny patch of light appeared in front of me. Yet as I turned around, all behind me contained no hint of what was to come.
As I pondered these images, I thought about the story of Joseph toward the end of the book of Genesis. As a young boy, he experienced dreams that must have given him a lot of hope for the future. Joseph was his father Jacob’s favourite son because he was the child of his beloved wife Rachel. He was always somehow made to feel as though he was more valued than his numerous brothers, and to prove it, Jacob made him a special coat which singled Joseph out over the rest. This created jealousy and tension, and Joseph’s telling of his dreams during which his family all bowed down to him only made things worse.
It’s such a familiar story – a Sunday school favourite. Joseph went to visit his brothers when they were away from home taking care of the sheep, and they took the opportunity to get rid of him once and for all – first throwing him into a pit, then selling him to some Ishmaelite traders who just happened to be passing by.
I wonder how many times the enemy taunted Joseph, saying things like: “So much for your silly dreams! You’ve got an over-active imagination, Joseph. Just look at you now! Lording it over your brothers? Hardly! You’re just a slave here in Egypt, and that’s all you’ll ever be.” Even so, Joseph got on pretty well as he set about his tasks in Potiphar’s household. He must have had a good attitude, because his master gave him responsibilities and seemed to hold him in a position of trust, until the incident when his wife accused Joseph of sleeping with her, at which point poor Joseph was thrown into prison.
Even there Joseph’s positivity shone through. There must have been something pretty special about this young man. People knew they could trust him. Then the time came for him to interpret the dreams of Pharaoh’s chief cup barer and baker. He didn’t mince words, even though I imagine having to tell the baker he was about to be killed was far from easy.
Finally, after languishing in captivity for several years, Joseph’s glimmer of light came when he asked the cup barer to remember him when he was restored to his place within the palace. Surely in his joy over being released, he wouldn’t fail to remember the one who had given him hope. Whenever I read Genesis 40 verse 23, I can almost feel Joseph’s despair, as it says: “Pharaoh’s chief cup-bearer, however, forgot all about Joseph, never giving him another thought.” Before we become too critical of him, let’s pause to think about how self-absorbed we can often be. Do we always prioritise the needs of others as we should? I have to confess that in my case, I’m aware I so often don’t. the cup bearer went on with his life, happy to have his freedom restored. He probably didn’t want to think about his experiences in the prison, so is it any wonder he forgot Joseph?
So we are told Joseph spent another two years in prison, and I’ve always felt these must have been the darkest years of his life. For the first few weeks, I imagine he was eagerly waiting for his vindication to come, but as each day passed, it must have seemed less and less likely, until he realised the cup barer had either forgotten him or he’d spoken up, but no one was listening. If ever there was a time when Joseph might have turned his back on everything his father Jacob had taught him to believe, I imagine it would have been during those two years. It reminds me of what I used to call my nemesis verse, from proverbs chapter 13 verse 12, which begins with the words: “Hope deferred makes the heart sick”.
There have been many times during my life when I could relate to how Joseph must have felt during those final two years of slavery. A situation I have been praying about for many years seems never likely to change to the point where I have almost been tempted to swallow the lie that I might as well accept things the way they are. Once or twice I have found myself clinging onto the promises of God, forcibly reminding myself that he does care – that he does hear my prayers.
Light came for Joseph on the day they flung wide the prison doors and took him for an audience with the king. That was the day on which his life would change forever, and the beginning of the fulfilment of his God-given dreams. I don’t know how it will come for us, but I want to assure you that the light always comes, and it usually begins to appear just after that darkest hour. I have had many nights of tossing and turning on my bed, mulling over fears and issues of concern. Sometimes I end up giving up on sleep and sitting up, waiting for dawn to come. Strangely, when it does, I find I can sleep, even though nothing has changed. The light puts a clearer perspective on my difficulties and brings me calm.
If you are going through a dark hour today, I want to encourage you to let God bathe you in his light. Things may not change immediately, but there is always light to be found even in the midst of the darkest tunnel. If, like Joseph, you have been given dreams and promises, then cling onto them. Don’t listen to the lie that they will never come true. Remember, in his dream, Joseph saw his brothers bowing down before him, and they did bow down when they came begging for food. As a result of everything he had suffered, Joseph was able to provide for his family and save not only their lives but the lives of many others through the stockpiling of grain before the famine.
God’s plans are not always easy to understand. I don’t know why he sometimes allows us to walk through such dark times, but we can receive encouragement by reading stories like Joseph’s. Far from being bitter about his suffering, he told his brothers many years later: “You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.” (Genesis 50: 20.) Joseph saw the big picture, but perhaps we never will. Perhaps our dark times won’t make sense this side of eternity, but we must never stop believing and clinging onto our great and mighty God who is working out his plans.
Remember my nemesis verse? Well, it has a second part. So although hope deferred makes the heart sick, “a dream fulfilled is a tree of life.” (Proverbs 13: 12B.) I pray that if you are feeling heartsick, God will give you a dream that only he can fulfil, and that, like Joseph, you will hold onto that dream like a beacon of light in your darkest moments, because Joseph’s God is our God today, and in the midst of our darkest hours, dawn may well be just around the corner.