At age 17, Joseph dreamed a dream that left a powerful impression upon his mind and soul.
Genesis 37:5-7 says, “Now Joseph dreamed a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more. He said to them, ‘Please listen to this dream which I have dreamed. We were binding sheaves in the field. All of a sudden my sheaf rose up and stood upright, and your sheaves stood around it and bowed down to my sheaf.'”
This prophetic dream revealed that Joseph would be the greatest among his 11 brothers. Because Joseph was younger, it was offensive to his older brothers that he would even imagine being superior to them or holding greater authority. Although this was Joseph’s dream from God, his brothers thought it was the wild imagination and prideful desire of an over-ambitious teenager.
One might imagine what went through Joseph’s mind after this dream. One day he would have authority over his father’s inheritance and his brothers. This would mean that he would be chief among his tribe.
We can safely estimate that Jacob’s tribe or clan was a group of about 50-80 people, a small group as shown in Genesis 46:27b, “All those of the house of Jacob who came to Egypt were seventy.”
Seventy people constituted the clan of Jacob during Joseph’s later years.
Although Joseph had great prophetic insight and a powerful prophetic promise from God given through his dreams, he could never imagine what God had planned for him. God’s dreams for us are always bigger than we can hope or think for ourselves. Joseph could dream that he would one day rule over a small tribe of about 70, but he could never imagine that he would be set in authority over the most powerful nation in the world—Egypt.
Genesis 41:41 records Pharaoh’s words to Joseph: “See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.” As second only to Pharaoh, Joseph had a great authority and influence over the nation of Egypt.
But God’s desires and dreams for Joseph’s promotion and favor didn’t end with Egypt. We learn that Joseph also gained notability and influence with other surrounding nations. Genesis 41:57 says that “all countries came to Egypt to Joseph to buy grain, because the famine was so severe in all the lands.”
As we study the story of Joseph, we learn that God’s dreams and desires for our lives are always greater, more powerful and more mind-blowing than anything we can desire for ourselves. God desires that we keep dreaming the God kind of dreams that remove limits and mirror the words of our Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew 19:26b: “but with God all things are possible.”
In 2021, continue to dream prophetic dreams and know that God’s dreams for your life and your family are bigger than your own. God wants to do greater than all we ask or think, so let’s pray and believe for this promise.
Let’s dream bigger with God in 2021!
“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly beyond all that we ask or imagine, according to the power that works in us” (Eph. 3:20). {eoa}
Demontae Edmonds is the founder of Freedom 4 the Nations, host of the This is Freedom podcast on Charisma Podcast Network and host of Atlanta’s Highways TV program. His heart is to share the reality of Jesus Christ with the world through demonstrations of the Holy Spirit’s power and presence. His books, Grab Hold of Your Miracle, Discerning of Spirits: 7 Dimensions of Revelation and The Supernatural Gift of Faith can be found on Amazon, walmart.com and barnesandnoble.com.
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