He’s With You

I still remember it like it was yesterday. I was about 4 years old, and I went to work with my grandmother. She was a phenomenal principal, and she was all too thrilled to show me off at her school. And I was all too thrilled to hang out with my Grandmommy. (I won’t say that I was her favorite, just in case any of my cousins ever read this blog. But let’s just say that I held a very special place in her heart!)

I loved being in the main office of Grandmommy’s school where all the staff members smiled at me, told me how cute I was, and gave me candy. But later in the day, my grandmother said it was time to leave the main office for something called “lunch duty.” She extended her hand to me, and I eagerly grabbed it as we ventured into the halls of this massive place called a “junior high school.” It looked so different from my little pre-k school!

We arrived at the tall, double doors of the cafeteria. My grandmother pushed one of the doors inward and was primed to take a step forward. But once I got a glimpse of the inside of the cafeteria, I clutched her hand and took two steps back.

My grandmother looked down at me and asked, “What’s wrong, Leah?”

“I can’t go in there, Grandmommy,” I responded.

“Why?” She asked.

“There’s too much big kids in there!”

Yes, I really did use the phrase “too much big kids.” What little me was trying to communicate was this: “Going in there looks daunting and uncomfortable, so I don’t want to go!”

Have you ever faced circumstances that seemed daunting? Have you ever approached a season of life that looked uncomfortable? Are you facing an undesirable situation right now?

If you’re anything like both little me and grownup me, your strategy for uncomfortable situations is this: try AVOIDING them! But what happens when times or even seasons arise in which we constantly feel uncomfortable and we can’t avoid it? Well, I’d like us to consider a few helpful tips from the life of a cool guy you may have heard of. This guy’s name was Joseph, and he was well accustomed to unpleasant circumstances. You may be familiar with his story, so I'll just give a brief synopsis.

The account of Joseph’s life spans from Genesis chapter 37 to chapter 50. (Seems as though God sure wants us to know about Joseph’s life, and more specifically, His work in Joseph’s life!) Joseph’s trouble started in his own household. His father, Jacob, loved him more than his older brothers, because Joseph was born to Jacob in his old age. And Jacob didn’t even try to hide his favoritism. He gave Joseph an elaborate robe of many colors, which meant our friend Jo was not doing any of the dirty work his brothers were doing. And to add insult to injury, Jacob put Joseph in a supervisory role over his brothers while they did the dirty work; and Joseph would assess the quality of their work.

As you can imagine, these matters did not make Joseph very popular with his brothers. To put it even more plainly, Joseph’s brothers hated him. And when Joseph shared a couple of dreams about how his family would bow down to him in reverence one day, that was the final straw for his brothers. They threw him in a pit and then later sold him into slavery. Sounds pretty bad, huh?

As a slave, Joseph had lost his freedom and his autonomy as a human being. He was in a foreign country called Egypt, and he was placed in an unfamiliar household of one of the Pharaoh’s officials named Potiphar. But Joseph found favor with Potiphar, and he was eventually put in charge of the whole household. Things were going pretty well. But Potiphar’s wife turned out to be a bit thirsty (and I don’t mean for water), and when Joseph refused her advances, she lied on him. As a result, Potiphar threw him in prison. Sounds pretty unpleasant, huh?

So, Joseph went from a pit to a slave of Potiphar to a prison. But if you know the story (if not, it’s worth reading!), you know that Joseph’s time in prison set him up to interpret the dreams of Pharaoh’s cupbearer and baker, which set him up to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams, which set him up to be put in charge of the whole land of Egypt—second only to Pharaoh himself. And years later, his brothers did indeed come and bow before him—just like he saw in his dreams.

Usually, this is the part where we’d highlight Joseph’s character throughout each of these phases of his life (e.g. how he did things in excellence, how he fled sexual temptation, etc.). But today, I’d like to briefly highlight what God was up to while Joseph was in these daunting situations with the hopes of encouraging you…and me.

While Joseph faced these unpleasant circumstances…

1) God was teaching Joseph humility

God used those years of trying situations to grow and develop Joseph’s humility. The kid who was cocky (or just naive) enough to share those bold dreams with his brothers is now a man who is humble and wise enough to make these types of statements to his brothers:

“…do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.” (Genesis 45:5)

“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives” (Genesis 50:20)

But the humbling circumstances God allowed Joseph to endure may not have had as much to do with his past attitude as they had to do with his future position. God knew all along the great heights to which He would take Joseph, and He wanted Joseph’s heart to be ready for those great heights.

This understanding encouraged me after I endured a few embarrassing and seemingly pointless experiences within a short span of time. The only sense I could make of them was that God was humbling me. After the final and worst embarrassing incident, I asked God:

“Was I that bad, Lord? Did I have so much pride in my heart that You had to break me down like this?”

But talking to my family and a good friend helped me see that what I experienced could very well have had more to do with where God was taking me than where I had been. In other words: Sometimes, what we think is God punishing us for our past is really God preparing us for our future.

It would not be best for God to elevate us to a level that our character could not sustain.

Are there any areas in your life where God may be trying to teach you humility for a greater purpose?

2) God was preparing Joseph for his purpose

God used the trying situations in Joseph’s life to develop certain knowledge and skills in him. During Joseph’s time in Potiphar’s household, he likely learned the Egyptian ways of life (e.g. cultural practices, the language, etc.). While he was there and also while he was in the prison, he learned and honed his management skills, as he was eventually put in charge of running both Potiphar’s household and the prison. God knew that Joseph would need these skills to one day run all of Egypt and save many lives. He was preparing Joseph to fulfill his life’s purpose.

What are some things God may be developing in you right now to prepare you for His next assignment for you?

3) God was always present

This single line is repeated throughout Joseph’s story: The Lord was with Joseph.

“The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered…” (Genesis 39:2)

“But while Joseph was in prison, the Lord was with him…” (Genesis 39:20(b)-21(a))

“…because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.” (Genesis 39:23(b))

Despite all the changing, daunting, unpleasant circumstances, one thing remained the same: God was with Joseph every step of the way.

By the way, I did end up walking into that junior high lunch cafeteria back when I was 4. It looked daunting, and I felt uncomfortable, but I went through with it. Why? Because my Grandmommy was holding my hand, and I trusted that she would be with me every step of the way.

If you are a believer in and follower of Jesus Christ, God the Father has you securely in His hand. He has promised to never leave you nor forsake you, and He cannot lie. Unpleasant circumstances do not negate God’s presence. In fact, He’s especially close to the brokenhearted (Psalm 34:18).

No matter what you are going through right now, your God is holding your hand, and you can trust that He’ll be with you every step of the way. As He was with Joseph…

The Lord.

Is.

With.

You.

Are you willing to trust Him and keep moving forward?

Your sister-friend,

Leah