Pastor column: The Lord was with Joseph
Joseph was the favored son in a family of 12 sons. He was on the path to power, influence and prominence in his family. Then, in a moment of time, everything was gone. Joseph was betrayed by his own brothers and sold as a slave.
But what no one could see in all this trouble surrounding Joseph’s life is stated clearly in Genesis 39:2: “And the Lord was with Joseph.” Let me share with you the ways God blessed this young man and how He wants to bless you and me.
It seemed that everything was falling apart for Joseph … “the Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard” (Genesis 37:36). God set everything up like it needed to be so that Joseph arrived exactly where he needed to be at the exact moment he needed to be there. While the events of Joseph’s life appeared to be out of control, they were actually being controlled by God. You see, Joseph was being protected by the Lord.
We have God’s promise that all “things work together for our good” (Romans 8:28). Things happen in life that do not make sense, but it doesn’t change the fact that God’s in control of everything. God’s purpose in our trials is not to hurt us but to develop us. We can trust Him to protect us and grow us. God is in control!
When Joseph arrived in Egypt he had nothing but his character. It was still intact! Genesis 39:2-4 says, “The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered … when his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favor in his eyes … ” Joseph prospered because his character caused him to be faithful to God and to Potiphar. As a result, God blessed his life.
God protected, prospered and promoted Joseph. “Potiphar put him in charge of … everything he owned. From the time … all that he owned, the Lord blessed … because of Joseph” (Genesis 39:4-5).
Joseph lived a godly life. He glorified God and God promoted him and used him in a powerful way. The Lord will do the same in your life and mine. If He can trust us with the tasks He assigns to us, He will entrust us with greater things down the road. “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much” (Luke 16:10). God will use us when we get in a place of usability!
God used the trials in Joseph’s life to shape him into the man He desired him to become. No matter how hard life becomes, if you are saved, the same thing that was said about Joseph is true about you: “And the Lord was with him” … you do not face your trials alone.
Rev. J. Patrick Street is the lead pastor of Redeemer Church in Marion. He can be reached at coachpatstreet@gmail.com.
This article originally appeared on Marion Star: God controlled and protected Joseph
