The LORD Was With Him
“When Joseph was taken to Egypt by the Ishmaelite traders, he was purchased by Potiphar, an Egyptian officer. Potiphar was captain of the guard for Pharaoh, the king of Egypt.
The Lord was with Joseph, so he succeeded in everything he did as he served in the home of his Egyptian master. Potiphar noticed this and realized that the Lord was with Joseph, giving him success in everything he did. This pleased Potiphar, so he soon made Joseph his personal attendant. He put him in charge of his entire household and everything he owned. From the day Joseph was put in charge of his master’s household and property, the Lord began to bless Potiphar’s household for Joseph’s sake. All his household affairs ran smoothly, and his crops and livestock flourished. So Potiphar gave Joseph complete administrative responsibility over everything he owned. With Joseph there, he didn’t worry about a thing—except what kind of food to eat!
Joseph was a very handsome and well-built young man, and Potiphar’s wife soon began to look at him lustfully. “Come and sleep with me,” she demanded. But Joseph refused. “Look,” he told her, “my master trusts me with everything in his entire household. No one here has more authority than I do. He has held back nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How could I do such a wicked thing? It would be a great sin against God.”
She kept putting pressure on Joseph day after day, but he refused to sleep with her, and he kept out of her way as much as possible. One day, however, no one else was around when he went in to do his work. She came and grabbed him by his cloak, demanding, “Come on, sleep with me!” Joseph tore himself away, but he left his cloak in her hand as he ran from the house.
When she saw that she was holding his cloak and he had fled, she called out to her servants. Soon all the men came running. “Look!” she said. “My husband has brought this Hebrew slave here to make fools of us! He came into my room to rape me, but I screamed. When he heard me scream, he ran outside and got away, but he left his cloak behind with me.”
She kept the cloak with her until her husband came home. Then she told him her story. “That Hebrew slave you’ve brought into our house tried to come in and fool around with me,” she said. “But when I screamed, he ran outside, leaving his cloak with me!”
Potiphar was furious when he heard his wife’s story about how Joseph had treated her. So he took Joseph and threw him into the prison where the king’s prisoners were held, and there he remained. But the Lord was with Joseph in the prison and showed him his faithful love. And the Lord made Joseph a favorite with the prison warden. Before long, the warden put Joseph in charge of all the other prisoners and over everything that happened in the prison. The warden had no more worries, because Joseph took care of everything. The Lord was with him and caused everything he did to succeed.”
Genesis 39:1-23 NLT
Most of us are pretty familiar with the story of Joseph: favorite son of Jacob who was hated by his older brothers, who then sold him into slavery as an alternative to killing him, which is what they wanted to do at first. All through this horrific story of abuse, one phrase is constantly repeated: “The LORD was with Joseph.” Despite all the awful, terrible things that happen to Joseph, the LORD never leaves his side.
But the thing that struck me about this particular part of the story is this: sometimes, it might feel like God has left us when bad things happen. But then, he might be allowing us to get in place to witness God’s next miracles.
Think about it. God knew all along that the famine would happen in Egypt. So by using the bad things that happened to Joseph for good instead of evil (Joseph himself says this later, in Gen. 50:20: “You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.”), God continually puts Joseph into the position he needs to be in for the next stage of this plan of salvation. (Not ultimate salvation, obviously. But this is A plan of salvation. God places Joseph in a place of authority as second-in-command to Pharaoh, allowing him to be the reason so many in Egypt and the surrounding areas survive the terrible 7-year famine.)
We are not all of us Josephs. I’m sure we know and understand that. But there might be times in our lives where it feels like we have sunk to our lowest point. We feel abused, abandoned, robbed of opportunity, forgotten, falsely accused, and more. But perhaps before we get angry or despair about our circumstances, perhaps that is exactly the time and place when God is saying to us, “I, the LORD, am with you.“
Even in the pit.
Even in unfamiliar territory.
Even in prison.
Even in the midst of situations that we just absolutely have no control over.
Even when our name has been dragged through the mud.
The LORD is with us. The LORD goes before us, preparing the way ahead. Sometimes, that way may go through unpleasant places. But you can be sure that if you keep walking and obey, that path will become clear and you will understand why God brought you through that way.
Think over your own life. Are there places or times when it seemed that God had abandoned you? When it felt like the whole world was imploding and everything was wrong and how could God put you there of all places? What do you know now that you’re on the other side? And if you’re not yet on the other side, be encouraged by the story of Joseph. God always comes through for God’s people. The LORD is with you. Wherever you may find yourself.