Several years ago, I was on a flight from Atlanta to Chicago. As we neared the time to land, our pilot announced that storms were ahead, and our flight was in a holding pattern until it was safe to land.

For 15 minutes we circled above, waiting for clearance from air traffic control. Then the pilot announced an extension of the holding pattern as we continued to wait for the storms to clear.

Another 15 minutes passed before the pilot announced, “We still have not been cleared to land … .” The passengers sighed and grumbled. Then the pilot continued, “ … and we’re running out of fuel.” That got everyone’s attention.

The pilot announced that we would divert to Indianapolis, refuel, and then return to Chicago. The detour of delay had turned into a detour of diversion. That’s what dreams often experience. The detour of delay shows up, bringing with it disappointments and diversions.

In Genesis 37–50 we read Joseph’s story — from the birth of his dreams to their final fulfillment. The fulfillment took roughly 22 years, 13 of which Joseph spent as a slave or in prison. In other words, delay was like a constant companion in Joseph’s journey to the dream. So, how do you navigate the detour of delay? Start with two truths.

The Delay Contains Purpose

When we experience delays on the way to our God-given dreams, it’s easy to think God has forgotten us, or that He is somehow against us. However, when you look at Joseph’s story, you realize that the purpose of his delay was twofold.

1. Joseph’s delay prepared him for the dream. Most of us wouldn’t view Joseph’s circumstances as a place of preparation, but rather a place of penalty. Yet, in the middle of Joseph’s hardship, God showed him favor by putting him in charge of Potiphar’s house and in charge of the warden’s prison. Why?

These responsibilities prepared Joseph to manage an entire country. In other words, God was growing Joseph’s leadership in the small things so that He could trust him with leadership of a big thing.

Is it possible that you have not yet seen the fulfillment of your dream because God is preparing you for the big things ahead? Our tendency is to whine in the waiting, or even waste the waiting, but God calls us to work in the waiting — to remain faithful, diligent and selfless. Be careful not to abort the purpose of the delay because you didn’t have the perspective to see the delay correctly.

If you have the courage to dream, you must match that with the courage to persevere.

Joseph’s delay positioned him for the dream. Sometime after Joseph’s arrival in prison, Pharaoh imprisoned his chief cupbearer and chief baker in response to some offense. They remained in prison for quite some time, and one night each of them had a dream.

As you follow the story, Joseph ends up interpreting the dreams (Genesis 40:9-19), the baker is put to death, and the cupbearer is restored to his position under Pharaoh.

While it didn’t happen immediately, God ultimately used the interpretation of the cupbearer’s dream to position Joseph to serve under Pharaoh, which eventually led to the fulfillment of Joseph’s dream.

We often think delays equal defeat, when in fact delays often contain our deliverance. They hold the circumstances God uses to position us for the fulfillment of our dreams. The real question is, how are you seeing the delay? The lens through which you interpret the delay is probably more important than the delay itself.

Search for the purpose behind the problem rather than just seeing the problem. God is at work, and He wants to prepare you and position you for what’s next.

The Delay Requires Perseverance

When Joseph interpreted the cupbearer’s dream, he asked the cupbearer to plead his case before Pharaoh so that he could get out of prison (Genesis 40:14-15). But the cupbearer forgot about Joseph for two years. Consider just how long Joseph endured delays:

• Joseph received his dreams at the age of 17.
• Joseph was 30 years old when he finally got out of prison.
• After interpreting Pharaoh’s dreams and being elevated to the position of governor, it was nine more years before Joseph’s dreams were actually fulfilled.

Again, Joseph experienced roughly 22 years of delay. Here’s the hard truth: Delays require perseverance. That’s not a popular concept in our culture today. We want insta-dreams. But God’s not in the business of birthing dreams that we disregard when the delays become demoralizing. If you have the courage to dream, you must match that with the courage to persevere.

We don’t need perseverance when we first receive the dream. Our excitement is enough to get us started. And we don’t need perseverance when the finish line is in sight. Again, our excitement will catapult us to completion. We need perseverance in the middle.

Everything feels harder in the middle. Everything seems longer in the middle. The middle looks bleak, and feelings of defeat and failure are heavy in the middle. But don’t stop working. Don’t abandon God’s purpose. Don’t give up when you feel like quitting. It’s messy in the middle, but God is at work in the middle … preparing you and positioning you.

You will experience delays toward your dreams. But if the dream is truly from the Lord, it will be worth it. The victory will be sweet, despite the winding road you may travel to get there.

See also: Parts 1 and 2 in this series.