With. And In.

Presence doesn’t always mean deliverance on our terms.

I’ve been reading Genesis most mornings these past weeks. Today was the story of Joseph, which is a pretty familiar one to many, even if you haven’t read the Bible. I mean, who hasn’t heard of the young man and his famous multi-colored coat?

Anyway, there was a theme that struck me as I read a fair bit of Joseph’s life story. Maybe you’ll recall it.

It’s the fact that Moses (the author of Genesis) tells us repeatedly that God was with Joseph.

Genesis 39:2 — “Yahweh was with Joseph, and he became a successful man…”

Genesis 39:21 — “Yahweh was with Joseph and extended kindness to him. He granted him favor…”

Genesis 41:25, 28, 32 — God is showing Joseph the future, and what he is going to do in Joseph’s land, and what he has determined, bringing Joseph favor and renown.

Genesis 41:38 — The most powerful man in Egypt, the Pharaoh, exclaims about Joseph, “Isn’t this the man we need? Are we going to find anyone else who has God’s spirit in him like this?”

I think many of us can recount the experience of seeing these texts taken as great comfort that the same presence of God that was with Joseph can be true of us. We eagerly want to grab hold of these texts — which do, in fact, display the loving and faithful character of God — for ourselves, in our circumstances, and proclaim, “God will be with me, to bring me success! God will be with me, to grant me favor! Please, God, be with me. Change my life for good.”

But don’t forget the contexts, dear reader.

That presence of God, and subsequent success, that we read about in Genesis 39:2? That was while Joseph was still a slave.

And that presence of God, and subsequent kindness and the granting of favor that we read about in Genesis 39:21? That was while Joseph was in prison. For years.

You see, God’s presence doesn’t mean deliverance on our terms.
It is true that God is always with us.
But so often that means that God is with us, in our existing circumstances.

And that that is supposed to be enough.
We’re to be satisfied with God himself, even if nothing around us changes.
Because God is always doing so much more than we can see with and in our lives.

Which is what Joseph learned at the end of his story, yes?

When he reflects on his life with his brothers — who had set off a chain of events in his life that lead to slavery, and prison — here’s what he has to say about the presence of God with and in his life:

Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You planned evil against me; God planned it for good to bring about the present result — the survival of many people.

Yes, and very amen, in Jesus’ name.