“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. The Lord made Joseph a favorite with the prison warden.”– Gen. 39:19-21 (NLT)
I don’t know about you, but when I pick up my Bible and read some of the stories in the Old Testament revealing our Creator showering his favor upon his faithful children, it is cause for great joy! These stories offer so much hope and inspiration!
And boy… Joseph surely needed God’s favor!
His brothers were jealous of him and plotted to kill him, but God had other plans. They decided instead to sell him into slavery, but God set him up with a great gig as a servant to one of Pharaoh’s men. Joseph was an excellent servant and Potiphar entrusted him with everything in his house. And now Potiphar’s evil wife, whose lustful desires Joseph had rejected repeatedly, was getting her revenge by alleging that he tried to rape her. And so, off to prison Joseph goes, guilty of only being faithful to God and his master.
But the Lord was with him. And not only was the Lord with him, but He showed Joseph His faithful love by making him the warden’s favorite prisoner. Who else could do that but God?
“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.” (v.v.22-23)
The Lord caused everything he did to succeed!
Isn’t it cause for celebration to know that no matter how challenging our circumstances in life might seem, that the Lord is with us every step of the way? When everyone else has turned against us; when everything else has failed miserably; when others, perhaps even our closest friends, have deserted us, how comforting it is to know that the Lord is still with us!
God’s hand was upon Joseph’s life at every turn. Whatever he was tasked with, no matter how great or how small the job, God saw to it that Joseph was successful in all that he did.
Just as He was with Joseph, He is with us. Just as He blessed Joseph with His favor and love, God desires to bless us. How wonderful would it be to live our lives obediently for Him, and to experience that same success in all that He has tasked us to do? That everything He gives us to oversee, we are incredibly successful!
“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” – Hebrews 13:5-6 (NIV)
Former Blackout Artist 