ESOCS Devotional 31 December 2021
TEXT: GENESIS 39:1–12
MEMORY VERSE:
“And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian” (Genesis 39:2 KJV).
There are so many great parts to the story of Joseph. There is his father’s love, the coat of many colours, Joseph being sold into slavery, the false accusation and time in prison, his interpretation of dreams, his promotion to Second-in-Command over all of Egypt, his reuniting with his father, and his forgiveness of his brothers.
So many great events, and woven throughout all of them is this one important truth – ‘The LORD was with him.’ Over and over again, this phrase is used to remind us that God will never leave us or forsake us. It reminds us that even if life sometimes doesn’t make sense, we can know that “… all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose” (Rom. 8:28).
Once Joseph arrived in Egypt, he was put on the block and sold as a slave. Scripture says that he was bought by a man named Potiphar. Anyone could have bought Joseph, but the Lord led Potiphar to buy him. The Bible says – “The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will” (Proverbs 21:1). We read also from the book of Proverbs – “The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil” (Proverbs 16:4). I won’t begin to say that I understand how – God, by His sovereign will, has chosen to give man a free will; and man, by his free will, chooses to fulfil the sovereign will of God.
Joseph was in the midst of a storm, yet the Lord was with him. The Lord was using this storm in Joseph’s life to purify and to perfect his faith. God was doing in Joseph’s life what He has to do in every saint’s life. Whenever we experience difficulty in our lives, we are tempted to think that the Lord has abandoned us; yet the story of Joseph teaches us that this is not true. Joseph was put into prison, but the Lord was with him. Dear friend, the Lord is with you as well.
- What lessons have you learnt from the life of Joseph?
- Father, help me to always experience your presence in my life, in Jesus name.
Read Other ESOCS Devotional here
FURTHER READING: Psalm 37:3–11; Isaiah 43:1–12
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ESOCS Devotional 31 December 2021
