Read: Genesis 40:5
“The cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison, each had a dream. Both had a dream on the same night, and each dream had its own meaning.”
Understand:
- Who had a dream?
- Where were the cupbearer and the baker when they had their dream?
- What does it specifically say about each of the dreams?
Listen: Many people struggle with readings from the Old Testament in the Bible. I’ve heard some refer to it as a bunch of stories but these stories are backed up by historical findings. When someone says something to me about the Old Testament, my first thought is that yes, it is full of stories; however, these stories show God’s faithfulness. Since the beginning of time, what He promises to do, He does. He holds His people accountable, He blesses them, He guides them, He teaches them, He provides for their needs, He shows them their strengths and their weaknesses, He protects them, He strengthens their faith, and He shows them that they are a part of a bigger story: His story and that each one of us has been given special gifts to help Him achieve His story. I love this about the Old Testament. It gives us purpose but also shows us that He is with us every step of the way and wants us to participate in order to fulfill His purpose.
In the scripture verse above, the book of Genesis references the story of Joseph. Joseph was sold into slavery by his own brothers and this verse reflects part of the time he was in the king of Egypt’s prison. He had been given the ability to interpret dreams, which God would use to bless Him in the future. What I want to focus on with this verse though is that God specifically points out that there were two people, the cupbearer and the baker, who had a dream one night and each dream had its own meaning. This speaks to me about how unique each one of us are and tells me that God created us to be that way. They could have had the same dream and I’m sure it would have had a very significant meaning to it but each of them had a dream that was specific to them. There’s something to that. I’m not talking about the interpretation of dreams. I mean things worked out well for the cupbearer who was restored to his position with the Pharaoh but the baker was hanged, so it didn’t work out so well for him. What I am talking about is that we are unique beings and God created us that way in order for us to work in unique ways to serve His kingdom. Think about these verses from Romans 12:3-8:
For by the grace given to me, I tell everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he should think. Instead, think sensibly, as God has distributed a measure of faith to each one. Now as we have many parts in one body, and all the parts do not have the same function, in the same way we who are many are one body in Christ and individually members of one another. According to the grace given to us, we have different gifts:
If prophecy, use it according
to the standard of faith;
if service, in service;
if teaching, in teaching;
if exhorting, in exhortation;
giving, with generosity;
leading, with diligence;
showing mercy,
with cheerfulness.
We all have different abilities because we have a part to play in the body of Christ. Think how hard it would be to accomplish anything if we all did the same thing and had the same gift. I used to get frustrated with myself because I wanted to be an outspoken leader. My husband is an incredible leader. That is his gift. God has helped me work through my tendency to think others are better than me, especially if they are extroverted. I am a true introvert. He has led me to amazing authors and books about the gifts of introverts but, most importantly, He has worked on my heart and healed my mind so I now realize that my gift is teaching and helping others. It’s helping them see who they are through the eyes of Christ so that they don’t spend years, like I did, thinking they were less than others because they had a different gift. It’s giving them stories that help them understand how every person’s uniqueness contributes to making the world more special. I want them to know how special they are and how amazing their gift actually is because when you realize your gift and understand how it works in God’s bigger story, it not only makes sense, it becomes exciting because it’s who you are and comes naturally to you so you can contribute to God’s story.
Pray: Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for making us who we are and allowing us to be unique individuals. Help us realize our gift and appreciate it. Help us use it to glorify You and to be able to contribute to Your bigger story. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
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