Elementary Level, Block 3—Jacob and Joseph
Week 26
Joseph—The Dreamer
Point to Emphasize: We can be those who wait patiently for things to happen.
Reference Reading: Genesis 37
Memory Verse: …They ought always to pray and not lose heart. (Luke 18:1)
Story Sample
Joseph was a dreamer, but his dreams were different than the dreams we have. His dreams came from God! When Joseph was young, God gave him dreams about something that would happen to him one day. There were two dreams that he had. In both he dreamed that his father, his mother, and all of his brothers would bow down to him. I wonder if Joseph thought the dreams would be answered right away. It must have been so exciting for him to know that God had given those dreams to him! I know I would have expected an answer right away.
But it didn’t happen like that! Rather than something good happening to him right away, Joseph ended up in trouble right away. And not just once, but many times he had trouble come to him. His life was a real struggle. First, his brothers sold him; then, he became a servant in Egypt. Later on, he even was falsely accused and ended up in prison for a very long time!
Wouldn’t you have been discouraged by all of this? Do you think you would have begun to doubt that the dream would ever be answered? Have your mom or dad ever promised you something that you thought you would get right away, but then time went on and on and on and you still didn’t get it?
When I was young, I loved to draw. More than anything there was this very special art kit I wanted to get. It was my dream! My parents promised me that one day I would get it. But months went by and I never got the kit. I began to think that my mom and dad had even lied to me and I would never get it. But a year later, guess what I found in my room one day? My art kit! I was so ashamed I had given up believing I would get it. [Storyteller, tell a personal story about patiently waiting for something you had dreamed you would have.]
Joseph wasn’t like this though. He never gave up believing that his dream would come true, no matter how bad things seemed to get. He waited twenty-two years for this dream to come true! And it did! Isn’t that amazing? In the weeks to come we will talk about some of the things that happened to Joseph while he waited for this dream to come true.
I’d like to be like Joseph and not lose heart while I am waiting patiently!