The Lord Was With Joseph

Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. Potiphar, an Egyptian who was one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there. The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master.  Genesis 39:1-2 NIV

The captain of the guard bought him. Take a moment to let the impact of that statement sink in. He bought him. Every freedom Joseph had enjoyed in the Valley of Hebron, under the care of a loving father, was gone. His brothers turned against him and sold him to the Ishmaelites, who in turn, sold him to the captain of the guard. His life was no longer his own, he now belonged to another man. He was sold into slavery. Everything familiar, everything comfortable was nothing more than a mere memory. This was Joseph’s reality. In an instant, he lost everything! He was cut off from every relationship he knew, every relationship he enjoyed, every relationship, that is, except one. The Lord was with Joseph!

If you’re like me, your first thought is this: If the Lord was with Joseph, how could any of this have happened? That brings us to a valuable truth we learn from the life of Joseph. Tragedy can strike in the life of a godly person. If you are enduring a season of suffering, don’t let the enemy make you believe it’s because you’ve done something wrong. Life can be hard, yes, even when God is with us. But here’s the good news:  God gives us the grace and strength we need to push through the hard times. When circumstances are heartbreaking, God’s presence makes all the difference!

When his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, “This is how your slave treated me,” he burned with anger. Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined. 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 29:19-21 NIV

Joseph had done nothing to deserve the life he was living. He worked hard and did his best for the glory of God, yet, as if slavery was not confining enough, Joseph’s refusal to sin against God landed him in prison. But while Joseph was there in the prison, the Lord was with him!

Though life for Joseph became increasingly more difficult, his righteousness, his faithfulness, and his heart to please God did not go unnoticed! God remained by Joseph’s side, comforting His son through every heartbreaking moment. That’s what God does for His children! He personally comforts us when we are in pain.. Joseph had the blessing of God’s intimate friendship. No one could take that away from him, not his brothers, the Ishmaelites, nor Potiphar’s deceitful wife! No one!