After suffering for thirteen years, Joseph was enthroned to be the ruler of the earth. He certainly longed to see his father. We may wonder why he did not do something to satisfy this longing as soon as he was enthroned. He could have sent chariots from Egypt to bring his father to him. However, it was nine years before he had Jacob brought to him. Joseph had the power and the position to do something, but he did not do anything. If I had been Joseph, I would have done something immediately. I would have taken an army of chariots and gone to visit my father. Had I found that he had died, I would have visited his sepulcher. Certainly it would have been normal for Joseph to do such a thing. The fact that Joseph did nothing about this for nine years does not mean that he had no thought of his father. Joseph was not stone or wood, but a living person full of emotion, a person who loved his father very much. Having been separated from his father for many years, he must have thought about him a great deal. He probably realized how close Egypt was to his father's home in the land of Canaan. He knew that the journey there would take just several days. Nevertheless, because he was under the sovereignty of God, he did not do anything.

Joseph preferred to remain under God's sovereign hand and not to initiate anything. He might have prayed, "Lord, it was You who sent me here, brought me through all the sufferings, and put me on the throne. It was You, Lord, who kept me from my father. Lord, I realize that all this has been of You. Thus, I dare not do anything. Rather, I would like to wait for Your sovereign time." I definitely believe that Joseph prayed this way. This reveals that he was a self-denying person. Although he had been enthroned to be the ruler of the earth, he nevertheless did nothing for himself or for his own enjoyment. He was wholly for God's interest. Joseph's life was a life that waited for God's sovereign timing. Instead of initiating the contact with his father himself, he remained continually under God's sovereignty, praying, "Lord, You do it. Unless You do it, I will not do anything." Young brothers and sisters, I expect the Lord to do much with you for His recovery. But you must learn the lesson not to go ahead by yourselves. Don't do anything on your own. Rather, keep yourself under God's sovereignty and let Him initiate something. Whatever needs to be done must be initiated by Him.

How sweet is the record of Joseph's life! Because Joseph was fully under God's guidance, there was no need for him to regret anything he did. Joseph is a living illustration of what is revealed in the New Testament. He was a self-denying person who had no self-interest, self-enjoyment, self-feeling, self-ambition, or self-goal. Everything was for God and for God's people. Therefore, when the time was right, he extended a warm invitation for his father to come to him.

We can learn many lessons by considering Joseph's life. Joseph had dreams and he interpreted his dreams and the dreams of others. All these dreams were fulfilled. Nevertheless, Joseph realized that he still lacked one thing, and that one thing was his father's presence. Humanly speaking, nothing could satisfy Joseph except the presence of his father. However, he did nothing of himself to secure his father's presence. Instead, he was patient, constantly waiting for the right time. For nine years he did nothing. Finally an opportunity came to do something. But, realizing that the perfection of his brothers had not yet been accomplished, he still did nothing. Only when his brothers had been edified did he extend the invitation. This invitation was initiated by God's sovereign hand. God sovereignly prepared the environment to indicate that the time was right for Joseph to send for his father.