“The Lord was with Joseph and he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master” Genesis 39:2.
“The Lord was with Joseph and he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master” Genesis 39:2.
“But while Joseph was there in the prison, the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden” Genesis 39:20,21.
“The second son he named Ephraim and said, ‘It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering” Genesis 41:52.
I’m reading in the life of Joseph again – what a story! From privilege to slavery to favour, then debasement and finally exaltation. God was with Joseph despite his youthful pride and naivete that got him in trouble in the first place.
Yes, God was with Joseph through his life, but this life also included hatred from his brothers, being sold into slavery, being separated from his loving father, being framed for sexual assault as an innocent man, and being forgotten for two years by the restored cupbearer to the Pharaoh. “How can God be with me when I lie forgotten in a prison while my false accuser lives the high life upstairs?” It’s so interesting to look at the broad sweep of his life from our current perspective and see God at work all the way through.
I have just come through three funerals in close succession of people I know that are my age. I guess I’m entering that stage of life and it’s good to think about the goodness of God in the midst of suffering and loss. God didn’t shield Joseph from troubles, nor does He keep us from all trouble. Psalm 23 talks about our Lord as a good Shepherd who leads us to green pastures and still waters, but He is also there leading us when in the valley of the shadow of death and when in the presence of our enemies. The Christian faith is a real faith – not some escapist philosophy. We believe that God is good – he loves us and has our best in mind. But we also believe that He is faithful through the storms of life that we face.
Where do you find yourself today? Family friction? Stuck in the prison through no fault of your own? Held slave to those who would profit at your expense? Dear brother or sister – the Lord is with you there! He walks with you through your valley. Who knows what his plans are for you? In Joseph’s case it was to save the line of Promise from starvation – he is found in the Hebrews 11 chapter of faith (vs. 21).
The Christian life – your Christian life – is linear. It is headed somewhere. And in the end, all will be well.
Pastor Leon Throness
