Word came to him in the prison: “Quick—clean yourself up. You’ve been summoned to the palace.” Those were the last words the man expected to hear. There was a time—two years ago, in fact—when he had hoped that he might plead for justice before some court official. But that hope faded further with each sunrise and sunset that passed.

“Who am I seeing?” the man asked as he poured water into a bowl, then lifted a blade for shaving. An intense glance from the messenger was all the man needed to understand that for some strange reason, he was going all the way to the top.

With his face smooth, his body washed, and his hair oiled, he slipped on some clothing provided by the palace and followed the messenger through the gates. Despite the nerves he felt, he couldn’t help but relish the walk into the foul-smelling city streets. It had been years since he had been outside the prison, and he experienced the joy that came from striding so many paces in a straight line without running into a wall.

The distance from the royal prison to the royal palace turned out to be shorter than the man had hoped for. Soon he was being hustled through halls and anterooms, past guards and officials, squeezed between crowded groups of petitioners and beggars—everywhere he looked, the man saw people who were desperate for an audience with the monarch. Yet here he was being hustled past all of them, right to the front of the line.

The doors swung open, and the man’s breath was taken away. The beauty and opulence of the throne room was astounding. More guards and officials mingled in small groups within the great room, and there in the center stood a golden throne upon which sat Pharaoh. He was in conversation with a richly dressed man kneeling next to him.

“Your Highness,” called out a man who had suddenly appeared at the doorway, “I present to you the Hebrew, Joseph.”

A hush covered the room, and Pharaoh’s eyes darted up and locked with Joseph’s own. With a flick of his fingers, the sovereign beckoned him forward. Saying a quick prayer in his heart, Joseph advanced. He didn’t yet know why he was there, but what he did know was that God had a way of putting him in unusual situations in order to accomplish his own will. If God had this young, foreign, imprisoned slave standing in front of the most powerful man in the world, there was obviously a reason.

Just a few weeks ago, on September 10, I had the privilege of leading a delegation of evangelicals back to Saudi Arabia to meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and other officials. During our audience, we spoke about many topics, including their sweeping social reforms, their increasingly active battle against terrorism and extremism, their growing commitment to religious freedom, and their ever-developing friendship with Israel. It was an excellent time of open communication and deepening relationship.

Since returning home, I have faced some backlash for taking the trip. While most communications have been very supportive, others have been angry or confused, asking why we would go and, even more so, why would we go on 9/10? The first question is very easy to answer. We went because God opened the door for us. Imagine Joseph informing Pharaoh, “I cannot interpret your dreams, because you are a violent man and I question many of your leadership principles.” Or Daniel saying to Nebuchadnezzar, “God’s got an answer for your inquiry, but you stole me from my home.” Or Nehemiah telling King Artaxerxes, “Until you repent of your idol-worshipping ways, you can taste your own cup of wine.” If those men had responded to their political leaders that way, then the Hebrew line would have died of starvation, Nebuchadnezzar wouldn’t have had an opportunity for repentance, and Jerusalem may never have had its walls rebuilt.

I can’t measure up to any of these great men of the past, but when God so clearly opens a door, what else are we going to do but walk in? Right now, he has opened the door into the Saudi palace for a handful of us. So, we will praise him as we walk through, and we will pray that the Lord gives us the wisdom and guidance to accomplish his plan.

The second question asked was why we would meet with the Saudis on the day before the eighteenth anniversary of 9/11? My response is: What better time to meet with them? Our group answered this question of timing in our joint statement: “We feel there is no more appropriate time to focus on where the [Saudi] kingdom must go, can go, and where we believe it is going. In fact, our visit here on this profoundly important week is in defiance of those that aim to derail reform in the kingdom through an embrace of hate and fear rather than courage and moderation.”[1]

Change is taking place in Saudi Arabia. There is much yet to be done, but there is also clear evidence that the Saudi kingdom is moving in the right direction. We rejoice that God has allowed our coalition to be part of what he is doing, and we will continue to walk through every door that the Lord opens for us.

-Joel

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[1] Rosenberg, Joel C. “Evangelical Delegation Meets with Saudi Crown Prince on Eve of 9/11 Anniversary. Here’s Why.” Joel C. Rosenberg’s Blog, 10 Sept. 2019, https://flashtrafficblog.wordpress.com/2019/09/10/evangelical-delegation-meets-with-saudi-crown-prince-on-eve-of-9-11-anniversary-heres-why/.