No Small Trade

 "The LORD was with Joseph…And his master saw that the LORD was with him…” Genesis 39:2-3

The first part of this passage seems to be nothing remarkable since we know God’s promises include that He will never leave us. But what is remarkable is the context of what is going on at the time of this statement. It comes on the heels of Joseph walking into his brothers’ plan to harm him. I wonder which brother held him while another brother tore off his tunic? I can’t imagine the shock of it all as Joseph was thrown into an empty waterless pit by his family. Did he overhear their plan to pull him back up not to rescue him but to sell him into slavery? As they reached down and removed him from the pit did, he wonder if they had a change of heart only to be shoved into the possession of traders? I'm confident he stood there in disbelief as he watched the traders count out coins to his brothers. I’m sure he was fearful of what would become of him when the traders sold him in Egypt into Pharaoh’s servants. And yet…the Lord was with Joseph. 

This morning it encourages my heart that God is no less with us in the suffering than He is on the mountaintops. It encourages my heart that the tough valleys are also opportunities for God to reveal certain blessings that wouldn’t otherwise be experienced. Every step Joseph took and every situation He experienced was the will and the way of the One who walked him out to the other side. We are no different than Joseph. As believers we are all favored by God, provided for by God and protected in all times because of the presence of God. The Lord is with you and the Lord is with me and there is no greater truth. 

There is something reflective about a person who is walking with the Lord. They look different…they act different…they respond differently. Just as Moses had a reflective light on his face after meeting with God on the mountain, we too reflect the image of Christ when He is our hope. No matter what we face on any given day or during any season, we have just as much of God in the suffering as we do in the rejoicing. 

‘Where God does not grant our request, He will grant us His comfort. No small trade indeed. He is everything.’ Beth Moore (@BethMoore LPM), Tweet, January 5, 2019.