Devotions with Pastor Michael

Dear Church Family:
Remember the story of Joseph?  His life did not go quite as planned.  Put yourself in Joseph’s shoes for just a moment.  The message he received as he’s traded for silver was clear: we’re better off without you.  Betrayed and scornfully hurt by his own flesh and blood.  What would be going through your mind if you were Joseph?
 
It’s hard to describe, isn’t it?  No words could express what he was feeling.  He was all alone.  No one was there to hear his cries. No one was there comfort him in the midst of some of the most painful moments of his life.  No one, that is, except God.  In Joseph’s story, five words changed everything.  Genesis 39:2 says, “The Lord was with Joseph…”  Joseph didn’t have a lot going for him in the pit and even less afterward, but when Joseph was in despair and wondering how life would turn out, he could rely on a single truth: God was with him. This truth didn’t change the reality of Joseph’s situation. But it was better than being alone.  This truth didn’t mean that Joseph could see where the story was going. But he could know that he wasn’t entirely dependent on himself to get out of this situation. This truth didn’t mean that Joseph could easily deal with the things that happened to him or the hurt of his brothers. It didn’t mean that he had a reason or explanation for the pain in his life. But he didn’t have to figure out things all by himself. 

The same is true for you.  When there’s nothing you can do, God is with you.  Knowing that God is with us may not change our circumstances, but it might just change us. It might just give us enough hope to keep going, even in the midst of our hopeless circumstances.
 
God bless.
-Pastor Michael

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