Your Destiny - Is In Your Waiting
Joseph’s story shows that destiny is forged in waiting. For 13 years he endured slavery and prison, yet God used that season to shape his character and prepare him for leadership. Waiting tests motives, builds faith, and aligns us with God’s timing. True strength comes not from rushing ahead but from trusting Him. Your destiny is in your waiting. Be still, faithful, and expectant.
Introduction
One of the most terrific story arc in the Bible belongs to a man called Joseph, the son of Jacob. We read about him in Genesis 37 where he appears as a young 17 yr old. He was the 11th of 12 sons born to Jacob and was the favourite of his father amongst all, much to the jealousy of his brothers.
He also had some really strange dreams which he would very naively share with his brothers inciting their resentment even more towards him! Let’s get a glimpse of that in Genesis 37:3-9.
Fast forward to Genesis 41:46 and 42:6! It is stunning to see this man’s life unfold. This was exactly what he saw in his dreams when he was 17! One would wonder, how did this even happen? What did he do to get here? So, let’s get some answers on that - What did he actually do to get here?
Joseph’s dreams, which were given to him, not imagined by Joseph, were a glimpse of his destiny – it was a God plan. And a God plan has a God-route!
What Joseph actually did was one thing – WAIT!
He waited on the Lord for 13 years! From the age of 17 till 30! Not knowing when the waiting period will end, not knowing if he will ever meet his father again, not knowing anything except his loneliness, memories of his home and past and his deep personal pain.
For those of us who are unaware of his story, Joseph became the target of his brother’s unbridled jealousy and was sold into slavery to a passing group of Midianites, by them! Joseph’s fault? He was Joseph! Just like that, in one day, life had changed! Imagine a 17-year-old sold by his own and taken into a foreign land for slavery – so much for all those glorious destiny dreams! Right?
Wrong!
Joseph had the gift of not just seeing dreams but also interpreting them, so he was called into the palace of the Pharaoh to interpret two major dreams that the Pharaoh had – which no one could interpret or understand. Joseph not only interpreted Pharaoh’s dream but also gave wise advice on what to do with the understanding – Pharaoh realised that standing before him was not an ordinary man!
Genesis 41: 39-40 says - "So Pharaoh asked them, “Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God? Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you.”
No matter what setbacks come, God has a way of converting every ugly, evil, unfair, horrible thing into something unimaginably beautiful, when we bring it into the hands of God – that leaves an element of awe and wonder! Isaiah 61: 3 talks about how God brings beauty from ashes – it is true. He does. We see that in the life of Joseph.
Joseph’s pain and loneliness is agonizing when one thinks of it – too young, too much, too unfair! But so was his destiny – too much, too glorious and too stunning a turn-around!
Psalm 105:19 says - “Until the time came to fulfil his dreams, the Lord tested Joseph’s character.” There is timing associated with everything!
It says in Genesis 41:14 that Joseph was summoned to the courts of Pharaoh. In the Spirit, it was Pharaoh who was summoned to the courts of God, because Joseph’s time had come! When the time for Joseph came, Pharoah was given the dreams!
Until the time comes for a God plan to manifest, materialise – there is only one thing that the Almighty God expects us to do – WAIT ON HIM! With everything you have, or with nothing you have!
The title of my message today is – Your Destiny Is In Your Waiting!
What Does It Mean To Wait On The Lord?
Waiting doesn’t mean we become stagnant and lazy. Instead, there is an active expectation and a mental walking towards something. It is a steady, continual movement towards something.
There are two things that are expected of us as we wait:
In the natural, the picture looks like Genesis 39:6 and Genesis 39: 22-23. Joseph was so sincere and faithful in everything he did, that he was a joy to have wherever he went. He was an excellent worker. This is also part of our waiting-module! To be faithful and sincere in those seemingly ‘little’ things, as we wait. Our promotion comes from our faithfulness in the ‘now’, in the little things.
Secondly, this period of waiting is when we build a deep intimacy with the Lord. Invest your time, your energy and your mind in getting to know the Lord deeper. Beyond the waiting and the promises, He is the One who is the essence of this whole story. Joseph had become so close to the Lord in the most brutal period of his life, that his heart was so well preserved from bitterness and anger, and he trusted God completely.
To truly understand what ‘Waiting on the Lord’ means, we look at Psalm 131.
Let’s read it together.
Verse 1 talks about two distinct things – heart and eyes.
When is the heart proud?
Heart is proud – when I seem to have it all together, on my own strength and ability or wealth (what the world applauds as ‘self-made’!) – I have much to boast and pride on. It may not show much on the surface, but deep inside I have a sense of - “I did. I do.”
When are the eyes haughty?
Eyes are haughty – when I look at others and those around me with a look of ‘lesser than’. It shows that in my own eyes, I am better than others. I knowingly/unknowingly look down on others while thinking of myself very highly. It could be in matters of wealth/ status/ family/ education / beauty even spiritual aptitude and gifts!
Both these things go for a toss – when we begin to wait on the Lord!
Because suddenly we are found in a situation where we can do nothing but wait – as it seems somebody else is now calling the shots! Life isn’t going the way I expected. Something completely different from what I wanted/expected is happening! I suddenly have nothing to show, nothing to boast on!
When this happens, there comes in verse 2 - a posture of humility, lowliness and willing submission. I understand and realise that I am on a path not of my choosing – but of God’s planning. I make peace with God’s chosen route for me. It is a picture of a calm sea, not a raging restless one. It is a matter settled in the heart.
Psalm 46:10 says – “Be Still and know that I am God!”
Waiting on the Lord makes us STILL because we have surrendered! I have understood that with everything, I am still utterly limited as a human and God is exponential in His ability to do anything as a miracle-working God!
In Genesis 41:15-16 Joseph says – “I cannot do it, but God will give Pharaoh the answer!” This was not fake humility. Joseph had understood the core truth of who he is and who God is!
What Does Waiting Do?
Waiting is the deciding factor of a destiny!
It is probably the most prominent lesson in God’s curriculum, because it tests everything! Tests patience, tests hope, tests obedience – tests everything! How long before we give up… How long before we walk away…
Or do we remain standing at our post, no matter the cost – the years are going by. People are mocking. Nothing has come through yet. Chances are quite dim now. You are just fooling yourself etc etc – Still. Remain. Standing. Why? Because God said so!
Waiting exposes real underlying heart-motives! Do we love the gift/promise/the destiny or the giver? We won’t really wait if our heart is in the blessing. We will try and extract it somehow. The blessing can never become bigger than the blesser! But we will wait if our heart is with the giver! (Genesis 50:24-25 – shows where Joseph’s heart was)
Waiting forms Character – There is a perseverance that comes, there is a reigning in of impulses that comes, there is a stillness in the midst of a storm that is practiced, that becomes part of our nature and character. This character is what enables you to carry/hold your God-destiny! The weight and the glory of a God-destiny cannot be handled by someone who’s character is still unformed.
The waiting is qavah in Hebrew which pictures a girl braiding her hair; making a thick rope out of individual strands of hair. When waiting you intertwine your weakness (thin strands) with Gods Omnipotent thread. The waiting doesn’t make one weak, but aligns one with Gods will, making one strong for the assignment ahead.
In the spiritual realm - The enemy cannot drag you away from where you are destined to be – but he can convince you to leave mid-way! Waiting teaches you to stand your ground. It’s taking up a very high position in the spirit! The one who has learnt to wait becomes qualified to take over every territory they are sent to, because the enemy cannot budge them!
Demons rush! They cannot wait, because they have no patience. The concept of Waiting thus is a spiritual weapon. That is the one thing that we have the ability to, and they don’t!
We might often feel cornered, pressured into taking a step – these are enemy tactics to break the mandatory waiting period! Your Destiny is at stake!
Waiting is about permission! A Colonel at his rank or an army commander never moves without further instructions. No matter how dire the situation may be, they have been trained to wait and move only with orders from above! When we move on our own accord, we are crossing permissible limits set for us – we are overriding authority! It exposes us to spiritual attack and disastrous consequences.
Conclusion
TO THOSE WHO ARE IN WAIT
The Lord truly does understand the agony and the tiredness that comes when we wait. The frustration that creeps in, the helplessness that we feel, the disappointment and sadness that can just take over…
And yet, the Lord gives an incredible picture of hope in Isaiah 40:29-31 that says, “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
There is a separation that the Lord does here – those who wait on Him Vs those who try and carve out their own path! The Lord is showing that the end result is quite contrary to what it seems while we are in the process.
The obvious ones are falling and growing weak – young lions and youths! But those who seemed to have spent all their time feeling weak and helpless in waiting are suddenly rising in new strength and taking off!
When we try and figure out our own paths in our own strength and wisdom, there comes an Ishmael! But the blessing is always Isaac! God doesn’t need our help in speeding things up. Sarah strived to open a door before Gods time that led to centuries of turmoil. A rested person refuses to force doors open but waits for perfect time.
Song of Songs 8:5 talks about the Bride emerging from the desert leaning on her beloved! An emerging in the strength of Him. It is a picture of deep intimacy and massive strength. In the earlier chapters it shows that when she went into the wilderness / waiting time, she went in walking – in her own strength. But when she comes out she is leaning on the beloved, because her own strength which couldn’t sustain her is gone and now, she has plugged into a strength that never tires out!
We emerge out of our waiting periods with strength that is not human, that cannot be stopped. And we lose nothing. Not time, not years, not strength. There is only a gaining. Isaiah 30:18 says – “For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!”
Let our prayer be as it says in Psalm 130: 5-7 – “I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope. I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning. Israel, put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption.”
Amen.
YOUR DESTINY IS IN YOUR WAITING!
Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.
(Psalm 27:14)
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Background
Kainos Church India, Bengaluru led by Ps. Manoj and Lincy Iype is a gathering open to all believers in the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Church is ideally located for believers in the Koramangala, HSR Layout, Agara, Sarjapur Road, Bellandur areas of Bengaluru and our Church Service in English starts at 10am on Sundays.
These notes are from the Sunday Sermon held on 16th August 2026
