But the Lord is with Me

God,

Tonight, I read the story of Joesph. As I read through part of his story, I noticed that the phrase," The Lord was with him" was used several times. I think that many of us have misconceptions about our relationship with Christ. So many of us feel that by believing in God, nothing bad will happen to me. However, the story of Joseph illustrates the truth of how God works so elequently.

God is with Joseph but is the life of Joseph easy? No. Joseph's own family wants to kill him. Joesph becomes a slave. Joseph is lied about and thrown in prison and finally Joseph is forgotten. But how can these bad things happen because God is with Joseph. I think that we all need to understand that God can be with us and we will still suffer. God does not make us suffer but in our freedom, we are allowed to suffer. In our suffering, we can learn more about obedience, Your grace and Your strength.

At the end of the section that we read, Joseph has married and has two sons. This is the story:

Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh and said, “It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.” ⁵² The second son he named Ephraim and said, “It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.”

I love that Joseph is able to thank You for his many blessings. He thanks You for helping him forget his trouble and he is thankful for Your blessings even in his suffering by the names that Joseph gives his sons. I think that Joseph teaches us that we need to still be thankful and aware of Your blessings despite our circumstances. If we all can learn this difficult task, our walk with You will be so rich and fulfulling.

Thanks for being with me,

Derek