Meanwhile: Meeting God in the Waitনমুনা

The theme of suffering is predominant in the narrative of Joseph and unable to be ignored. The story of Joseph gets worse before it gets better. Joseph was a righteous young man, tapped by God for greatness in His unshakable kingdom, and yet, still he suffered. Joseph was protected, even during days of suffering, by his stable faith and awareness of the presence of the Lord. Follow Joseph’s example. As you go through devastating life events, continue to embrace relentless faith, and remind yourself daily that the Lord is with you. Our faithful God is able to create overpowering good out of suffering and evil - never doubt it.

One of the most powerful yet ignored truths of our Christian faith is that the Lord is with us. He has promised never to leave us or forsake us no matter what we have done, how others have treated us, or what our living conditions may be like. The Lord is with you, just as He was with Joseph. Circumstances can rip away our health, deprive us of finances, and mutilate relationships, but adverse conditions are unable to take the Lord’s presence from us. Events may alienate you from family and situations may deny us of personal comfort, but they are unable to deprive us of the presence of the Lord. Joy, grace, and hope can never be deducted from a believer in Christ.

The phrase, “The Lord was with Joseph,” is written on the sacred pages of scripture so you can live a life of hope. When your world comes crashing down around you, you can rely on the goodness of God to invade your circumstances, because the Lord is with you. You can hold onto unwavering hope in all the meanwhile seasons simply because you are not alone. You are not forgotten.

The trustworthy fact that the Lord is with you, just as He was with Joseph, changes everything for you. The Lord is with you - such wonderful and encouraging instruction found in these five astonishing words. His presence will enable us to persevere in all of life’s challenges. When we feel all dried up due to human pain and horrific circumstances, we must lean into our faith and not allow emotions to dictate our stability or level of hope. We must always remind ourselves of the eternal truth found in the Bible.