“Tell Pharaoh about me. Don’t forget me.”

Joseph urged the butler as he was being carried away to his freedom. The butler’s dream had come true, just as Joseph said it would.

It was a peculiar gift, really—being able to interpret dreams. But what good was that in a prison cell?

Joseph had so much potential, so much to offer. He was a visionary. A natural-born leader. Trustworthy. Talented. And yet, he was wasting away in confinement. Not because he did anything wrong. All he did was listen to his father.

And it landed him in a pit.

Made him a slave in Potiphar’s house.

Threw him into prison.

All those prime years—gone.

Or were they?

What if the waiting wasn’t a detour… but preparation?

What if it wasn’t about delay… but about becoming someone who could carry what was coming?

As the story goes, Pharaoh dreamed two identical and troublesome dreams, and no one in the palace could make sense of them. That’s when the butler finally remembered his friend.

Joseph.

He told Pharaoh about the prisoner who once gave him a word that came true. And suddenly, Joseph was summoned to the palace. He stood before Pharaoh, and after interpreting the dreams, he was promoted from prisoner to prime minister. From forgotten to favored.

How could that be?

Because all those years, Joseph had been faithful. He didn’t waste the waiting. God had been shaping him in every season—in the pit, in the palace, and in the prison. All throughout, Joseph stayed obedient. He held on to his integrity. He bloomed wherever he was planted.

And maybe that’s the point.

When we walk through trials, it’s easy to feel overlooked. It’s easy to think God has forgotten us. That time is slipping through our fingers. But maybe God is doing something deeper—maybe to change your situation, or maybe to change you.

Is your heart steady?

Is your faith still anchored?

When success comes, will you carry it humbly?

We don’t always get the answers we want, but we can trust in God’s character. He is not slack concerning His promises. He will never leave you nor forsake you. He will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory.

So if you’re in a season that feels like delay, rejoice.

You are not being forgotten. You are being formed.

My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

James 1:2-4 (KJV)