Heavenly Father, thank you for a new day in which to thank, love and serve you.  Thank you for your word and for the precious true stories it contains. Thank you for your precious promise to never leave us or forsake us.  Amen Genesis 39:11-23 (NIV)

11 One day he went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household servants was inside. 12 She caught him by his cloak and said, “Come to bed with me!” But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house.

13 When she saw that he had left his cloak in her hand and had run out of the house, 14 she called her household servants. “Look,” she said to them, “this Hebrew has been brought to us to make sport of us! He came in here to sleep with me, but I screamed. 15 When he heard me scream for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.”

16 She kept his cloak beside her until his master came home. 17 Then she told him this story: “That Hebrew slave you brought us came to me to make sport of me. 18 But as soon as I screamed for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.”

19 When his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, “This is how your slave treated me,” he burned with anger. 20 Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined.

But while Joseph was there in the prison, 21 the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. 22 So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. 23 The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.

This passage reminds me of one of the reasons it is so important to read the Word of God and to live in His presence every day. All of us experience hard situations and circumstances in life. When that happens our first response tends to be, ‘God, where are you?’ Between last Sunday and the time I’m taking to write this reflection, that question has been on my mind at least three times.

Knowing and hearing again the true story of Joseph is a great help to me because as I reflect on this passage of scripture, I realize that like Joseph, God has been with me in my troubling circumstances.

When difficulties come, being in the in Word helps me realize two things. First, God will be with me and walk with me through the situation so that I am not facing my current circumstances alone. Second, God will use my current circumstance for His glory and my good because He is a God who can redeem any situation.

Our God, the one who was with Joseph and “gave him success in what ever he did” is the same God who in His word promises never to leave us or forsake us. (Deuteronomy 31:6)  As one of my Alpha friends might say, ‘you can take that promise to the bank!’

Lord, thank you for loving and caring for each one of us. Help us to fix our eyes and hearts on you. Help us, by your Spirit, to encounter you in the Word each day. Help us to keep your life sustaining promises before our eyes. Remind us that regardless of our circumstances, you are with us. Amen.

jhf