WAS IT NECESSARY?

I love the word “Convergence”.
It means things will come to a conclusion. A good conclusion. A conclusion that finally makes sense.

Take Joseph the dreamer.
At seventeen, he had his first dreams
Of being bowed down to by his kin.
But he was young. He lacked sensitivity or grace or discernment.
He was a raw deal dressed in varicolored finery.
He couldn't keep his mouth shut to save his life.

Then he was stuffed into a sack, shipped to Egypt, sexually harassed, sent to prison.
And in a dank and hopeless place, convergence happened.
Pharaoh’s staff had dreams and bunked with the dreamer.
He told them about their vision but they – or the one who was left - didn’t tell about him.
Not till two full years later when Pharaoh had, not one, but two nightmares.
This time, the dreamer not only explained the dreams,
He had the sensitivity and grace and discernment
To talk sense to the king.
He didn't keep his mouth shut to save his life.

And there we have it - convergence.
The prisoner rose to the rank of prime minister.
The gift that landed him into hot soup made him cool.
A famine became Egypt's claim to fame.
A disaster orchestrated God’s divine plan for deliverance for His covenanted people.

In the study of Joseph (Gen 37 ff), I had many“Was it necessary?” moments.

Was it necessary for Jacob's favorite boy to grow up away from home?
I guess so if the 17 year-old would one day be greater than all his elders.

Was it necessary to put innocent and handsome Joseph through 13 years of wilderness experience, 13 years of waiting, and wondering "Is this necessary?"? (He appeared before Pharaoh at 30 years old.)
I suppose so.
Perhaps it does take this long for one to settle down. Sort out bitterness. See how God meant everything in his life for good.
This long to learn to let go. Let God.
Let convergence take its place.

How about you? Do you face "Is it necessary"s in your life?
Take a tip from Joseph.
He was given up, but he never gave up.
He took the hard road, he refused to compromise
Even though compromise would have been easier, more pleasurable.
He held on - even if it was to just a prison chain, he waited for his time and chance,
He knew convergence would happen.

FIGHT AND WIN

JACOB WAS A BORN FIGHTER.

He was stubborn enough to cling to heels (Gen 25:22-23),
Skillful enough to steal blessings, with mere stew (Gen 25: 31),
Sly enough to lie and win Daddy's blessings (Gen 27),
Slick enough to outwit Laban, the deceptor of all time,
And strong enough to outrun time to chase after lost loves and missed chances (Gen 29).

Then he went to Wrestling School (Gen 32:24)
And, for the first time, the survivor was outplayed.
But he was the born fighter, he refused to lose.

And so he outlasted his opponent.
By being stubborn enough to finish the race, what with a dislocated socket,
Skillful enough to not let go of his only Chance of beating the game of life,
Sly enough to face up to his frailties,
Slick enough to dodge his own deceptions,
And strong enough to cling on to the heels of God’s time and chance.

What's your battle today?
Don't let go. Cling. Cling stubbornly.
Don't give up. Fight.
Let the injuries come. But fight and win.
Don't run away. Run.
Arms outstretched,
Face in the wind,
Free.

Rebekah schemed to cheat her husband and first son, Esau. She won the game but lost her second son, Jacob, forever (she never saw him again after he left).
Jacob lied through his teeth to his own old man, Isaac. He was lied to [and suffered for 20 years] by another old man, Laban.
The deceiver masqueraded as the first-born to steal from his older brother. He was tricked into marrying another first-born who masqueraded as her younger sister.
Leah went along with Dad to rip-off the “first wife” position. She would learn for the rest of her life that one cannot steal love, nor have first place in a heart that belongs to another.

We reap what we sow.
By the mercy of God, we may be forgiven, we may get the chance to start over.
We may even grow through our mistakes.
But we will face some consequences.

Don't try to cheat with numbers.
It usually doesn't add up.

ON THE NIGHT JACOB WRESTLED WITH GOD (GEN 32)

On the night Jacob wrestled with God, God blessed him.
Not with riches and numbers [though he had both]; but by making him admit how “alone”, “afraid and distressed” (32:7, 13) he was.

On the night Jacob wrestled with God, God made him powerful.
Not through youthful passion, determination and drive [which this Romeo and Rambo had more than most men in the Bible]; but through breaking him down mentally, emotionally [20 years of cheating and hard labor by the sifu deceiver Laban], physically [dislocated thigh] and spiritually.

On the night Jacob wrestled with God, he overcame himself.
Not because he had achieved status, independence, and “two companies” (32:10); but because he finally learned how “unworthy” he truly and always was before God. 

On the night Jacob wrestled with God, he found peace at last.
Not by presents of 550 goats, ewes, rams, camels, colts, cows, bulls and donkeys to his brother, Esau; but by coming into the presence of the holy God  - stripped of pretense, security, and deceit.  

On the night Jacob wrestled with God, he grew up and became a man.