It is one of the most iconic title sequences ever made for a television show. For 57 years, the daytime drama “Days of Our Lives” began every episode with the picture of an hourglass and a quiet, reflective voice.
“Like sands through an hourglass, these are the days of our lives.”
Like sands falling through an hourglass, the days of our lives at times seem to pass in a blur – and at other times, they go painstakingly slow.
Joseph experienced the slow sands of time.
The second youngest of twelve sons, Joseph was spoiled by his father and hated by his brothers. Eventually, they got rid of him by selling him to slave traders, who took Joseph to Egypt, where he toiled as a slave and was then unjustifiably thrown into a dungeon, accused of a crime he did not commit.
Though God had promised great things for Joseph, he languished as a slave and prisoner for over a decade in conditions modern readers like us can scarcely imagine. The days would have been long, hard, and slow.
But then, at the end of those years, God sent a glimmer of hope – two other prisoners, disgraced servants of the Pharaoh, who each had a dream. God revealed to Joseph the meanings of the dreams, and soon, one of the servants was released and returned to serve Pharaoh.
The servant promised to tell Pharaoh of Joseph’s unjust imprisonment – but then forgot. Joseph sat in prison for two more years. Moses tells us that they were “two full years” (Genesis 41:1).
In the original Hebrew, it literally says, “two years of days.”
The Hebrew expression reminds us that these weren’t abstract years, but lived days – long days.
Like Joseph, sometimes we live weeks and months and years of days. The sand falls slowly through the hourglass as we struggle with the daily grind in our marriages or at work – as we deal with pain and loss, as we wake up to the same problem we prayed about yesterday.
And that’s when we need to remember those years of days that Joseph languished in captivity. God had a plan for Joseph and eventually kept his promise. Though those years were painful and unjust, God didn’t waste them.
God was there – working quietly, preparing Joseph for what lay ahead.
While he waited, Joseph worked hard to be the best slave and prisoner he could be. And God blessed Joseph through it. He was given positions of leadership among the slaves and prisoners.
Joseph didn’t waste his waiting. He didn’t grow bitter or give up. He remained faithful in the small, unseen tasks God set before him.
When you feel the drudgery of days dragging by as you languish in pain or problems, trust that God will keep his promises.
When you are in trouble, call on God. Pray to him. Trust that he will rescue you (Psalm 50:15). But remember that he never promises to deliver you immediately. Sometimes God gives us weeks and months and years of days to wait.
But while you wait, do what Joseph did. Work. Serve. Do your best where God has placed you.
Then read, remember, and ruminate on God’s promises. He will give you the strength you need. He will help you to grow and mature while you wait.
Know that, like Joseph, one day, God will deliver you – in his time and his way.
Pastor Andrew Schroer has been a pastor for over 25 years and is currently serving at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Edna, Texas. You can find his latest books, “364 Days of Thanksgiving” and “364 Days of Devotion,” on Amazon.com.
