“Red Light! Green Light!”
February 18, 2022
One of the more popular games of my childhood was Red Light Green Light. Perhaps you are familiar with it as well. The variation of the game my childhood friends and I played involved one person who was the leader and served as a traffic light of sorts. The rest of the players would line up at the designated starting line and listen for the leader to yell out, “Red light! Green light!” When the leader would say, “green light” everyone would take steps towards the leader. When the leader said, “red light”, all the players would stop. However, if players were still moving when the leader called, “red light”, they had to go back to the starting line and begin again. The first person to reach the finish line became the new leader, commanding the steps and stops of the players in a new round of Red Light Green Light.
I was reminded of this game while reading about Joseph in Genesis 40. Through a series of unfortunate events, Joseph ended up in prison in Egypt. While in prison, he was able to interpret the dreams of the Pharaoh’s butler and baker who were also imprisoned. After favorably interpreting the butler’s dream, Joseph asked to be remembered to Pharaoh. However, the butler, once released from prison and restored to his position, forgot to mention Joseph to Pharaoh. Now Joseph’s steps toward being released from prison were stopped. As we read the rest of the account of Joseph, we see how that played out for the greater good of Joseph and for the world. However, in the moment of being stopped, it must have been very discouraging to Joseph.
Most of us have had moments in our lives that if we had acted when we first intended, bad results could have occurred. A few friends of mine, who worked in the World Trade Center, recounted how a train that was running late, prevented them from getting to work on time on that tragic Tuesday, September 11, 2001. Had they been on time, they most likely would have died. God stopped them on the train tracks so as to spare their lives.
How many times have we been stepping in a desired direction, only to have God stop our steps? In the moment, we may have felt like Joseph-discouraged and hindered by an unwelcome red light. However, later down the road we realized that God’s stop light was for a greater good. How many times have you been stopped in a traffic jam only to learn later that your delay prevented your involvement in a traffic accident? How many times have your steps towards a job promotion been halted only to find out that God had a better position in mind? How many offers on a desired home have been rejected only to find that God had a better home in mind for you?
The Bible clearly teaches us that God does order our steps. He guides us and directs us. Psalm 37:23-24 reads,
23 The steps of a man are established by the Lord,
when he delights in his way; 24 though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong,
for the Lord upholds his hand.
God also directs our stops. We may make plans, but He is the One who establishes them. And because of Who He is, He can be trusted to say, “Red Light! Green Light!”
The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps. –Proverbs 16:9