Genesis 38-40
Key Passages/Thoughts:
Gen 39:21 - "the Lord was with Joseph"
Joseph was in an extremely lonely place. Joseph's brothers were extremely jealous and angered with Joseph. He had shared a few of his dreams with his brothers that involved Joseph having power over them. He was the apple of his father's eye, and his brothers were reminded of that every time they saw his multicolored cloak. Then, you have the day Joseph went to see his brothers. His brothers threw him in a hole in the ground and sold him as a slave. Joseph ends up at Potiphar's house because Potiphar had bought him as a slave as well. It is here that things began to go well for Joseph. However, Potiphar's wife accuses Joseph of trying to rape her. Joseph ends up in prison. If I were Joseph, I think I'd be at the end of my rope. Just when things start going well, they seem to always take a turn for the worse. Joseph had every reason have to question whether or not God is with him. We are reminded of that fact several times during Joseph's story. No matter how bad things seem to get for Joseph, God always seems to make things right.
As I read the story Joseph, there are several different applications that can be made. The one that God is driving home with me right now is the idea that God is always with me. There have been times when I felt like God was so distant that, even if He had spoken, I don't know if I would have heard Him. As I begin to process through those times, it became quite evident that the reason I couldn't hear Him speak was because I didn't want to hear what He had to say. Sometimes I get so caught up in my own sins or my desire for comfortability that the only voice I want to hear is my own. When I get to this point, it's a very dark place. It is these moments that I realize God's faithfulness to continue to pursue after me! Usually, there are several, if not many, decisions that lead me into those dark areas. It is in that loneliness, it is in that depression, and it is in that feeling of isolation that God reminds me that I am His beloved and I was created for so much more. I don't say that out of pride or haughtiness. I say that because my identity is not found in my mistakes. My identity is found in Christ and Him crucified. I am new creation...the old has gone and the new has come. When I am in those dark places, and God reminds me of this fact, it is like God takes a sledge hammer and breaks through that wall of deception that the enemy had been building and says, "This one's with Me." I am so thankful that the Lord is with me! Thank You Lord for being with me even when I don't want You to be. Thank You that You pursue me when I don't always pursue You. Thank You that You are the perfect example of what faithfulness looks like.
As I read the story Joseph, there are several different applications that can be made. The one that God is driving home with me right now is the idea that God is always with me. There have been times when I felt like God was so distant that, even if He had spoken, I don't know if I would have heard Him. As I begin to process through those times, it became quite evident that the reason I couldn't hear Him speak was because I didn't want to hear what He had to say. Sometimes I get so caught up in my own sins or my desire for comfortability that the only voice I want to hear is my own. When I get to this point, it's a very dark place. It is these moments that I realize God's faithfulness to continue to pursue after me! Usually, there are several, if not many, decisions that lead me into those dark areas. It is in that loneliness, it is in that depression, and it is in that feeling of isolation that God reminds me that I am His beloved and I was created for so much more. I don't say that out of pride or haughtiness. I say that because my identity is not found in my mistakes. My identity is found in Christ and Him crucified. I am new creation...the old has gone and the new has come. When I am in those dark places, and God reminds me of this fact, it is like God takes a sledge hammer and breaks through that wall of deception that the enemy had been building and says, "This one's with Me." I am so thankful that the Lord is with me! Thank You Lord for being with me even when I don't want You to be. Thank You that You pursue me when I don't always pursue You. Thank You that You are the perfect example of what faithfulness looks like.
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