Genesis 40:1-8 The Lord is with Us

Almost two years ago, I made a post concerning this passage. When we left Joseph he had been thrown into jail where "the Lord was with him; and whatever he did, the Lord made to prosper."

In the next verse we read, "Then it came about after these things." We are not told how long a period had passed. Was it a matter of day? Weeks? Months? Perhaps Joseph had been there even as long as two years.

Regardless of the time, we know that God was with him. In the same way, God is with you and me. He has not abandoned us. Even though we go through difficult times, he is near.

We must also not forget that the Lord had prospered Joseph. How could that have taken place? We do not read that Joseph acquired large sums of money or valuable possessions of any kind. Rather, we see that Joseph is still in jail.

Apparently God views prospering a bit differently than people of our day view it. The television preachers want us to think that we would acquire great wealth and riches if we were to trust the Lord (and send the preacher a love gift or seed offering of the largest amount possible).

God is content to be with us and prosper us in the small places of life: in prisons, hospitals, nursing homes and housing projects. He meets with kings, presidents and dignitaries too, but the riches of God are not counted merely in gold and worldly possessions obtained only by a few.

In our passage we read that God brought the cupbearer and baker to the prison and put Joseph in charge of them. As Joseph's fellow prisoners have dreams on the same night, we read that the men are sad because they have no one to interpret them.

Then Joseph, "Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell it to me please."

In that sentence we see the tremendous way in which the Lord blessed Joseph. In spite of Joseph being wrongly imprisoned, he continued to trust in the Lord and did not lose heart.

We do not see Joseph complaining or making disparaging remarks about God. Instead, he freely admitted to the men that there is a God who exists in heaven and can do remarkable things.

How about you and me? What do we think about God when things don't go our way? Do we still acknowledge Him and trust Him? Do we recognize the great blessings he gives us even though our wealth may not be measured in silver and gold?

Let's be like Joseph as we face the afflictions of our day. God is still with us and wants to bless us immeasurably. Let's learn to look for Him in the difficulties of life and realize that the blessings He bestows are not confined to silver and gold or mansions of great splendor.