Training Camp

Date: Monday, January 19, 2026

Readings: Genesis 40 | Psalm 18:26-50

Genesis 40 is the waiting room of the Bible. Joseph is in prison, interpreting dreams for the cupbearer and the baker. He does them a favor, asks for a remembrance, and then… nothing. The chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph; he forgot him. Two more years of silence. If you feel like God has put your life on pause while everyone else is moving on, Joseph is your patron saint.

Waiting isn’t passive; it’s a theological discipline. In the silence, God is stripping away Joseph’s reliance on human connections. He had to learn that his deliverance wouldn’t come from a cupbearer’s recommendation, but from God’s timing. Throughout the grand narrative, the wilderness and the prison are where leaders are forged. Moses had the desert; David had the caves; Paul had the cells. Your forgotten season is actually the training camp for your character.

The second half of Psalm 18 (vv. 26-50) celebrates the God who ‘turns my darkness into light.’ It’s a song of victory that feels out of place in a dungeon, but it’s exactly what Joseph needed to hold onto. ‘As for God, his way is perfect.’ Even the two years of being forgotten were part of the perfect way. God isn’t slow; He’s precise. He’s positioning the pieces for a move you can’t even imagine yet. Don’t let the silence convince you that He’s finished with you.

Devotional Prompts:

• Who or what are you waiting on right now? How might God be using this delay to shift your trust from people to Him?
• In what ways has a forgotten season in your past actually prepared you for where you are today?
• Psalm 18:30 says, ‘As for God, his way is perfect.’ Do you believe this applies to your current delays? Why or why not?

Prayer: Father, keep me faithful in the waiting. When I feel forgotten by the world, remind me that I am always on Your mind. Light my lamp in the darkness and lead me in Your perfect timing. Amen.