Genesis 39:1–6a ‘The LORD was with Joseph so that he prospered…’ (v2)
In our reading today, we see Joseph in his new circumstances, a slave but making the best of it. Probably working harder than he has ever had to before. He used to be a son of privilege, and he is now a slave – but a prospering one.
He is rising through the ranks and becomes a trusted member of Potiphar’s household. Sometimes the Lord takes us to places which we would prefer not to go, but always for our benefit… perhaps to grow us, perhaps to train us for the next thing, always to teach us to trust more.
When we find ourselves in these places of challenge, we have a choice. We can kick against the goads and pray, ‘Lord, get me out of here’, without understanding God’s good plan, or we can embrace the situation and trust that God’s plans are always good, even when we don’t understand.
The latter allows us to know a peace that passes all understanding; the former often leads to frustration and disappointment when our circumstances do not change. In this passage we see that God is with Joseph even though he would probably have preferred to be back at home with Dad.
I wonder what skills Joseph learnt while working for Potiphar that he needed to save his people from famine later. He would not have picked up these skills at home in comfort. I wonder what God might be doing in your life when you are in a place of challenge.
A Prayer to Make:
‘Lord, help me to submit to Your will for my life even when I don’t understand, knowing that You will be working out Your good plan for my life. Amen.’
An Action To Take:
Think back to challenging circumstances and consider what lessons you learnt from that time.
Scripture To Consider:
Ps. 27:1–3 & 36:5–9; Rom. 8:26–29; Phil. 4:4–7; 2 Pet. 1:2–4
