The Lord Was with Joseph

And Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hands of the Ishmeelites, which had brought him down thither. And the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. And his master saw that the Lord was with him, and that the Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hand.  (Genesis 39:1-3)

At this point in his story, Joseph's circumstances were neither glamorous nor luxurious. In fact, he was as far from prosperity as anyone could imagine. He had been sold into slavery by his own brothers (after they almost killed him) and was now living in a foreign land, serving in someone else's household with no control over his future. By any measure, this was not a season that should have produced prosperity.

Yet Scripture makes a striking statement right in the middle of that circumstance: “The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man.” His external situation had not improved. He was still enslaved. But what never changed was that God was with him. Because he was aligned with God’s will, he produced results even in conditions that offered no natural reason for prosperity.

Joseph's prosperity was not first about his circumstances changing. It was his faith in God that remained constant regardless of his circumstances. That faith eventually produced visible results that even his Egyptian master could recognize. Whatever limiting circumstance you may be facing right now, remember that following His Word will produce prosperity in your everyday life.

Practical Application

Whatever circumstance currently feels limiting or unfair, focus today on cultivating God's presence in the midst of it, trusting that His presence, not your circumstances, will bring prosperity.

Psalm 90:17; Joshua 1:7