IS GOD WITH YOU?

“The Lord was with (Joseph), and the Lord made everything that he did successful.” (Genesis 29:23)

It is the deciding factor. The difference maker. It is what determines if you will experience overwhelming failure and defeat or true, genuine spiritual success. Is God with you?

JOSEPH

The life of Joseph in the closing chapters of Genesis is one of the most important and astounding in human history. We have the benefit of knowing it from start to finish, and the drama is breathtaking. Everywhere Joseph went in his early life, the world tried to destroy him. We can accurately surmise that Satan’s hand was behind all of this, the great enemy of God, as he tried to thwart the plans of God for His chosen people.

But at every turn there was a godly man that kept God’s saving purposes intact, for God was “with him.”

SCENE 1 & 2

In the first scene, his jealous brothers tried to kill him, finally selling him into slavery. Scene two describes Joseph’s rise to successful prominence in Potiphar’s house in Egypt, because “God was with him.” Another covetous one, Potiphar’s wife, tries to seduce him and, when she fails, she falsely accuses him, thrusting him into jail.

SCENE 3

Scene three will unfold in jail as Joseph again rises because “God is with him.” Although two prisoners forget Joseph, even though he had been instrumental in their release, Joseph still prospers in everything he does.

But Joseph is different than other men. “Like a cork, which you may push down but it is sure to come up again, so was Joseph. He must swim, he could not drown, for the Lord was with him. The Lord’s presence made him a king and a priest wherever he went, and men tacitly acknowledged his influence,” Spurgeon said.

SCENE 4

… witnesses’ recognition by Pharaoh, rise to the highest position in Egypt, and saving of the land and eventually the whole world, including God’s chosen people. Joseph’s dream as a 17-year-old boy was fulfilled, as his whole family bowed before him, owing their physical salvation to his gracious hand.

But all of this fortune was because God was with Joseph. The presence of God was the game changer, and it always is.

So, here is the ultimate question: Is God with you? He can be, and He longs to be if you will humble yourself before Him.