More Than A Dream

By Loren Yadon

It is no accident that approximately one-fourth of the book of Genesis was dedicated to the life of Joseph, the favored son of the patriarch Jacob. That is more literary space than was given to anyone else, including Joseph's illustrious great-grandfather, Abraham. His life was the bridge between the patriarchs and the exodus. Without the details of Joseph's life, the history of the Jewish people in Egypt would be filled with unexplainable gaps. If Moses was indeed the compiler of this history, then he intentionally wanted his readers to understand the life lessons Joseph left as a legacy for people of faith. It is important to see the role and motivation his childhood dreams played in shaping his life and holding him in the embrace of grace through unjust treatment and the exaltation of power. His life can be summarized in the words to his brothers: "You meant evil against me; but God meant it for good" (Genesis 50:20).

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Jun 11, 2019
• ISBN: 9781644587423

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More Than A Dream

Loren A. Yadon

Copyright © 2019 by Loren A. Yadon

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Introduction

It all started when a friend invited me to attend a large crusade held at the old fairgrounds on Orchard Street here in Boise. As a young teenager, I was certainly impressed with the size of the crowd that gathered to hear Oral Roberts. But even more impressive was what happened at the end of the service.

At the close of his message, the evangelist invited all those who wanted prayer to come forward and stand in a line. Hundreds of people lined up across the front and around the sides of the auditorium. As the evangelist and his associates passed among the people, I noticed a singer by the name of Bob Daniels approach the microphone and began to sing, Softly and tenderly, Jesus is calling… calling, ‘Oh sinner, come home.’ I was familiar with the song because we had sung it in our church in Parma on many occasions, but I was so impressed by Daniels’ beautiful baritone voice and the effect it had upon the audience.

I became so intrigued that I walked to the front, not for prayer, but to get a closer vantage point to enjoy this man’s singing. In fact, I was so concentrated on the singer that I was surprised when someone tapped me on the shoulder and said, Excuse me, young man! Could I step around you? It was Oral Roberts himself! I was so absorbed with the singer, I did not realize I was standing in the way of the evangelist wanting to minister to the waiting mass of people.

The experience so impacted me that when I got home, I would slip over to the church next door as often as I could to be alone. Since there was no one around to laugh at my childish imaginations, I would stand at the pulpit of the little church and sing that song, imagining people were coming forward for prayer. Through my mother, God had given me the gift of song, which I often exercised in our church services. But there, all alone, my teenage heart offered the sincerest imagination God ever heard.

One day, while engaged in this fantasy, a thought outside myself distinctly said, If you will devote your life to Jesus Christ, you will see this possibility become a reality! I did not hear an audible voice, but I knew God was speaking into my heart.

I dedicated my life to God’s service, and while serving on the pastoral staff of a large church in Washington state ten years later, I was asked to sing at the close of the service. The music director had already selected the song, so I stepped to the microphone and began to sing: Softly and tenderly, Jesus is calling… calling, ‘Oh sinner, come home.’ The recesses of my memory opened up, and I recalled that moment as a young lad I dreamed I was Bob Daniels. As people were coming forward for prayer, another sacred thought spoke clearly, See! I told you I can fulfill sacred dreams! I was so elated that I sang with humility and great fervor, celebrating a God Who was faithful to a flawed kid from Parma.

This experience fueled my focus on Joseph, the son of the patriarch Jacob, who experienced dreams of being a leader and savior for his family. The ensuing years bore rejection, heartache, and false imprisonment. But the last ten chapters of the book of Genesis described how, one day, those dreams came to pass.

I know some dreams are the result of too much pizza or a scary movie, but it is also possible for God to plant a life dream in your heart and challenge you to live it to fulfillment. Don’t discount inspired ideas! Dreams will come true if you don’t oversleep!

—Loren Yadon

Chapter One

Getting the Picture

The spacious room looked very official. The royal tapestries and expensive furniture testified that this was the office of a high-ranking official in Egypt. The bustling aides carried documents to a young man seated at an imposing table. They spoke to him in hushed tones, and he signed the documents before him and promptly dismissed them with a nod of his head. He was decisive and confident.

He was Joseph, surnamed Zaphenath-paaneah, second only to Pharaoh in the land of Egypt. He wore the signet ring with which he could stamp Pharaoh’s authorization on documents. Around his shoulders draped the royal robe, and a gold chain was about his neck. Everything about this handsome ruler spoke of honor, dignity, and character.

His primary responsibility was the economic recovery of the empire. Famine had drained the land of most of its resources, but the farsighted plan of Joseph, which called for vast storage of past crops, seemed to be working well. At first, very few paid much attention to this aspect of the Egyptian economy and government, but as the famine tightened its grip on the region, everyone’s focus turned toward Joseph for help.

People lined up to obtain his permission for their ration of grain from Pharaoh’s granaries. Foreigners traveled great distances to petition this official for help. Of course, the citizens of Egypt would have the first priority, and then strangers could purchase food afterward. Help was available, but everyone had to wait their turn.

Through the hectic pace of official business, Joseph glanced over the crowd to determine how many more interviews he would have to conduct before the close of the business day. Suddenly, he stopped and stared! His countenance changed! His jaw tightened and then relaxed. His eyes became misty. His aides were disturbed for they had never seen their master act in this manner. They followed Joseph’s stare to a small party of fair-skinned foreigners approaching the official’s table.

The light of recognition in Joseph’s eyes went unmatched by these strangers. He had recognized them, but they did not know him. It had been a long time since they had been together, and he had changed more than they. That last encounter had been so unpleasant that time would not erase it from Joseph’s memory.

Kneeling before him in respect were the people who had done Joseph more wrong than anyone in the kingdom. The party of foreigners was composed of his brothers who had spitefully sold him as a slave. Everything else faded into oblivion. Joseph saw nothing but this small group of men before him. He struggled to remain stoic and official, but his mind was a tumultuous sea as conflicting thoughts struggled for dominance.

It had been a long time, almost twenty years, since they had met. The replay of Joseph’s memory brought back some dark, bitter experiences created by these men. The road had been a rough one. He had even served time in prison on a trumped-up attempted rape charge. He may have been young on the outside, but he had traveled many miles in experience in the intervening years.

Joseph’s dramatic moment had arrived. His official position gave him license to respond to their request in any manner deemed appropriate. He knew his response would be controlled, not by the immediate situation, but by the character he had developed in the intervening years. He had been made for this very encounter, and he must not fail. This moment of destiny answered some often-asked questions in his mind. Past events fell into place like pieces of a puzzle.

Now he understood.

Chapter Two

Fruit from the Family Tree

And I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.

—Genesis 12:3, NKJV

And behold, the LORD stood above it and said: "I am the LORD God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants. Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Behold I am with you and will keep you wherever you go and will bring you back to this land;