The Lord Was With Him

When his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, “This is how your slave treated me,” he burned with anger. 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, the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. 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. 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.

Genesis 39:19-23

Joseph landed in prison for a crime he did not commit. Abandoned and forgotten by any human being who might help him, imagine how he must have felt. Still, we are reminded that our Lord showed mercy on him. The Lord gave him favor.

Eventually the prison warden promoted Joseph to oversee fellow inmates, and whatever Joseph did, “the LORD made it proper.” But despite God’s presence and blessing, Joseph remained incarcerated for years.

You may be stranded in a hospital room, a jail cell, country far from home, or your own inner prison. No matter where you are, or how long you have been there, God’s mercy and kindness can find you. He can protect, promote, and provide for you when it seems no one else can help.

God is present – even when we feel He is absent.

Our Daily Bread – February 7, 2013