Genesis Chapter 39: Verses 3-4 (NIV-UK)
When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favour in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned.
Genesis Chapter 39: Verses 20-21(NIV-UK)
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 favour in the eyes of the prison warder.
2 Corinthians Chapter 1: Verses 21-22 (NIV-UK)
Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
Potiphar saw something in Joseph that he didn’t see in anyone else. He saw that God was with Joseph. And even in trying circumstances, Joseph conducted himself in a way that continued to prove that. God didn’t take him out of the circumstances that he found himself in, but He remained with Joseph all the way through them, and people noticed and were affected.
Paul reminded the Corinthian church that they had the Spirit of God within them, and that it is He who makes it possible for us to stand firm in difficult circumstances because He dwells in the heart of any Christian. Do people notice that there is something different about us? Are they affected by the way we conduct ourselves? If God doesn’t take us out of our difficult times, do we give up in our disappointment? Or worse still, when people find out we are a Christian are they surprised? Joseph may have thought his situation had gone from bad to worded, but he held on to the promise God had given him and kept his testimony. What an example!
Dear Lord,
Help me to remember that its Your Holy Spirit who will help me to stand firm and keep following Your ways. May my life reflect Your goodness and mercy so that others can see it. I ask in Jesus’ Name. Amen.