Max Lucado - An Overview of the Life of Joseph

What can we learn from the life of Joseph in the Old Testament? Enjoy this encouraging word today:

“The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man.” (v. 2)
“His master saw that the Lord was with him.” (v. 3)
“The Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake.” (v. 5)
“The blessing of the Lord was on all that he had.” (v. 5)

Joseph’s story just parted company with the volumes of self-help books and all the secret-to-success formulas that direct the struggler to an inner power (“dig deeper”). Joseph’s story points elsewhere (“look higher”). He succeeded because God was present. God was to Joseph what a blanket is to a baby—he was all over him.

Any chance he’d be the same for you? Here you are in your version of Egypt. It feels foreign. You don’t know the language. You never studied the vocabulary of crisis. You feel far from home, all alone. Money gone. Expectations dashed. Friends vanished. Who’s left? God is.

If Joseph’s story is any precedent, God can use Egypt to teach you that he is with you. Your family may be gone. Your supporters may have left. Your counselor may be silent. But God has not budged. His promise still stands:

“I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go” (Genesis 28:15 NIV).

You will never go where God is not. Envision the next few hours of your life. Where will you find yourself? In a school? God indwells the classroom. On the highways? His presence lingers among the traffic. In the hospital operating room, the executive boardroom, the in-laws’ living room, the funeral home? God will be there.

“He is not far from each one of us” (Acts 17:27 NKJV).