Situational ≠ Positional

It’s difficult to read the Bible without a certain amount of wonder and awe. Mostly, for me at least, it’s wonder and awe at how forgetful and unbelieving God’s people seem to be. Reading the Bible gives us a front-row seat to the drama that unfolds when we couple know-it-alls with the One who knows it all.

The first story that comes to my mind regarding this is from the Old Testament – the great Exodus. God delivers the Israelites from slavery. The miracles of the ten plagues of Egypt, God’s presence was always visible (cloud and fire, day and night), He parted the Red Sea, but the Israelites have the nerve to think that God is going to let them starve or thirst to death. The New Testament isn’t much better. The disciples participate in and witness miracle after miracle, but time after time, they’re lacking faith or simply put, they’re consumed with the current situation.

I tend to read scriptures and think, Wow… what idiots! But in my moments of greater humility – the moments I’m a bit more honest with myself, I recognize that I’ve had my fair share of being an idiot, too. I’ve had damage in my back healed, I’ve had storms parted (seriously, it rained on either side of the highway), I’ve walked away from a roll-over accident, and God instantly broke the chains of addiction that had been attempting to kill me and my relationships. That’s just off the top of my head.

It’s in those moments that I rejoice and recognize that God is so very good – far beyond what any words can describe… and I rejoice as someone who holds the victory because I stand in the victory that He died to give me. In those moments, there’s no trace of doubt. There’s no question of whether or not He’ll provide, protect, or save… because we’re in the middle of experiencing it – it’s tangible! But time can often be a thief, can’t it? Time can make us forget.

I’ve been reading through Genesis and Exodus for the past couple months – I’m really not that slow… I’m savoring it. I’ll pick up my New Living Translation (Giant Print!), and then I’ll compare with my Key Word Study Bible. Let me tell you what… reading from different translations and looking up what some of the words mean in Hebrew has been a game-changer for seeing the Bible come to life. As I’ve read the stories over and over and over again, I’ve picked up on a few different things. And this repetition aids in how much I trust God.

As a kiddo who grew up in the church (whenever the doors were open, I was probably there), I became at least a little familiar with many of the stories of the Bible. The Old Testament was especially exciting. There’s love and war, floods and famines, kings and giants… betrayals and unbreakable covenants. It really does have it all. So I’ve had a basic picture of Joseph and his coat of many colors in my head for a long time. But an elementary understanding doesn’t typically compute as we mature and have life experiences (good and bad).

As I’ve been reading Joseph’s story these last few times, I came to recognize that his dreams (Genesis 37:1-11) have so much more to say – more applications – than mere prophesy. For anyone who doesn’t know the story of Joseph, the gist is that he has a couple of dreams that show his family bowing down to him. Not so great news to the jealous brothers that Joseph shared these dreams with if you know what I mean. But I find these dreams to be equivalent in message as a very popular verse in Jeremiah.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11 NLT

Now, if you’ve heard the story of Joseph, you know that after he has these dreams – and shares them with his family – his brothers plot to kill him but settle on selling him into slavery. Why not make a buck or two. He does pretty well for himself, but then he’s falsely accused of inappropriate behavior towards his master’s wife. As a result, he’s thrown into prison where he is still shown favor (considering the circumstances) because of God being with him, but he’s forgotten by another prisoner that was set free. And so he’s left to sit in prison.

I wonder if he sat in prison and thought back to his dreams. Most dreams in the Old Testament were considered prophetic – it was a common way that people heard from God. But the dream didn’t show the pit or the prison… not even the actual palace. But it did show Joseph’s position. Did Joseph ever struggle with trusting God? Did he ever question his position based off of his situation?

David was anointed king of Israel, but I bet he didn’t envision being on the run for his life as part of the journey to the throne. We can see throughout the Psalms where David struggled with the threat to his life, the day-to-day uncertainty that he faced, and the inner turmoil over his love for Saul and his family. He was the anointed king! That was his position! But his situation didn’t look very king-like, did it?

God had plans for great things for both of these men… but without the promise of position, all they had was the reality of their situation.

The story of Joshua is another favorite. Joshua is told, before he received the instructions about walking around the city of Jericho, that God had already delivered the city into his hands (Joshua 6:2)! God was telling Joshua that it was already done – Joshua’s position was the victor! But there was still some walking and shouting that needed to take place.

Joseph was chosen by God to save his family from perishing in the famine. David was chosen by God to be king and to be part of Jesus’ lineage. They were prophetically chosen to be in very specific positions. These stories tell me that their situations didn’t change the position they were destined for.

Scripture is full of promises that point out our position… even our very identity. We are sons and daughters of the Creator of all things! We did nothing to earn it, but we’ve been made coheirs with Jesus! These two very broad positions cannot be altered by mere situations or circumstances.

Maybe you’re sitting in a situational pit – might even feel like a prison at times. That doesn’t change who God has made you to be or the calling that He’s placed on your life. Whether you’re in the pit, the prison, or strutting the halls of the palace, this is what God calls us:

He calls us friend (John 15:15). He calls us chosen, holy, and beloved (Deuteronomy 33:12, Ephesians 1:4, Colossians 3:12). He calls us daughter / son (II Corinthians 6:18). He calls us righteous, redeemed, and blessed (Ephesians 1:3-7, II Corinthians 5:21). All of this because of what Jesus did at the cross. Not because of anything we’ve done, and our situation can never alter what Jesus completed on our behalf. Our position stays secure.

Maybe, like Joseph, you’ve had a dream. Maybe it’s a desire that God has placed on your heart. A longing or a yearning. Do you trust that God has good things planned for you… even when you’re in a pit or a prison? It’s a constant struggle for me – I wrote a post, Praise from the Pits, about two years ago. It’s a topic that I’m constantly having to circle back to for reassurance and peace.

But knowing my position – my very identity – has really helped me in navigating the not so easy days. It has helped me to start seeing the dream come true: strutting through the palace, praising His name, with my brothers and sisters in Christ for all of eternity.