Has God given you a vision for what He will do through your life and yet you see no evidence of that vision being fulfilled? You feel sure that God spoke some promise over your life but now it feels like God has forgotten. I have had those feelings. God gave me a vision for my ministry and just when I got all excited about that vision, my life took an unexpected journey through sorrow, pain and darkness. The temptation was to feel God had forgotten when He promised. I wonder if Joseph felt like that when he was sitting in prison. God had given him a dream that his brothers would some day bow down to his leadership but instead, they sold him into slavery. But, God hadn’t forgotten. Joseph was brought out of prison and elevated to one of the top leadership positions in the country. (Genesis 42-45) And, who should show up needing some food? His brothers! What a wild turn of events! God had not forgotten and all of a sudden Joseph is living the dream he had years prior. (Genesis 37:5) Here’s the truth that hits me, if God is going to trust you with the kind of leadership He’s promised you, He’s going to have to humble you through trying circumstances first! The question is, in the darkness of feeling forgotten, will you hang on to hope and keep trusting? The Apostle Paul wrote, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him.” (I Corinthians 2:9) Don’t doubt in the dark what God has prepared for your future. At exactly the right moment He will change circumstances and bring to light what He has promised.

How have you kept your hope alive when it feels like God has forgotten you? Thoughts?