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“The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man. And his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made all he did to prosper in his hand” (Genesis 39:2-3, NKJV).

We were born to succeed! God wants us to prosper in everything we set our hand to do. He tells us that if we will diligently obey His voice and observe all His commandments, that we will be set high above all others, and that His blessings will “come upon” us and even “overtake” us. He will bless every area of our lives, our homes, families, health, livestock, our nation, and more. We will be above and not beneath in everything, we will be the head and not the tail.

In Deuteronomy 28:1-14, God so clearly lays out the kind of life He wants us to have as He lists the blessings. In Deuteronomy 28:15-68 we see the curses that will come when a person or nation chooses to walk out of alignment with God’s way. If something you are experiencing falls under the curse (and we are all experiencing this to some degree), you can be sure, based on the word of God and His promises, that it is God’s desire to deliver you over to the blessings side.

In Christ, we are redeemed from the curse (Galatians 3:13) and we do not have to just accept circumstances such as poverty, sickness, and broken families. God will cause all that we do to succeed when we commit to coming more and more into alignment with His ways. He lays before us a choice between life and death, blessing and cursing. He invites us, and even commands us to choose life in everything! (Deuteronomy 30:19)

“He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither, and whatever he does shall prosper” (Psalm 1:3, NKJV).

Questions: How has God blessed you?

“Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).

Today, more people are experiencing hardship and loss than ever before in their lifetime.   Everywhere I look and everything I hear speaks of desperation.  It is a cry that is coming from tremendous loss.  Some are experiencing great financial loss; others are losing their jobs, families, friendships and health.

God has been reminding me recently of His Sovereignty and the promise in His Word, which so clearly and tenderly speaks to us that He is present with us in our very personal situations.  What a promise! If you feel alone in your circumstances know that you’re not.  God is with you, and with such gentleness, yet firm assurance, He beckons you to a greater life where there is no fear and there is no anxiousness, but only rest in Him.

Isaiah 43:2 says: “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, nor will the flame burn you.  Even when you walk through fire, and when the waters overwhelm you, I am there.”

Know that God is walking with you during not only the sweet times in you life, but especially during the difficult times.  David, when running from King Saul for his life, cried out to God and declared that He was setting His face like a flint before Him.   He knew that He must keep his eyes, not on his circumstance, but like a rock, immovable upon God and God alone to get through his many years of trials.

Even Joseph, when sold into slavery and then imprisoned for no wrong doing, remained faithful to God and eventually named his second child Ephraim meaning, “God prospered me in the land of my affliction.”

God often uses the times in our lives where everything seems to be going wrong around us, to get us to the very place that He intends for us.

Remember Romans 8:31, which says; “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”

I once heard a quote that goes like this:  “If you look inward, you get depressed.  If you look outward you get stressed.  If you look upward, you get refreshed”.

Let’s look upward together!  Let’s set our face like rocks before God.  He is faithful and just to perform His promises and His Word over our lives.

Heavenly Father, I love You and thank you for reminding me of Your Sovereign hand over my life and that You are with me in everything that I am going through.  Thank You that I can cling to You, knowing that You are in control and that You are with me every step of the way in my circumstances.  I cling to Your promises and open my heart to fully trusting in You as I continue to feed on your faithfulness.  Amen.

Questions: How do you handle the stresses in your life? How can you take your eyes off the difficult circumstance? What are some steps that you need to take to start to trust God fully for your situations?

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“‘Please, sir,’ the woman said, ‘gives me some of that water! Then I’ll never be thirsty again’” (John 4:15 NLT).

Did Jesus get weary physically in His travels? Of course, He did.

The disciple John relates one such incidence in John 4, “Eventually He came to the Samaritan village of Sychar, near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there; and Jesus, tired from the long walk, sat wearily beside the well about noontime” (Verses 5-6, NLT).

He sat at the well of the father to rest and recuperate, to quench His thirst. Do you ever feel like that? Thirsty? Fainting? Tired? Need recharging? Just as it is possible to get weary physically, it is equally possible to get weary spiritually.

David did. He said to the Lord, “My soul thirsts for You; my whole body longs for You in this parched and weary land where there is no water,” (Ps. 63:1b NLT) and “I reach out for You. I thirst for You as parched land thirsts for rain.” (Ps 143:6 NLT)

As Jesus thirsted and sat by the well, He spoke of the living water to a woman, who also thirsted, and came to the well for water. He said to her, “People soon become thirsty again after drinking this water. But the water I give them takes away thirst altogether. It becomes a perpetual spring within them, giving them eternal life.” (John 4:13-14 NLT)

Not yet recognizing her own spiritual thirst or Jesus’ meaning, she said, “‘Please, sir,’ the woman said, ‘give me some of that water! Then I’ll never be thirsty again’” (John 4:15 NLT).

When we, today, read this account in our Bibles, we understand that the Lord’s offering of refreshing, spiritual waters, is not from without, but from within, and satisfies eternally more than an oasis on the backside of the scorched Sahara desert.

As Christians, we have the privilege of sitting by the well of our Father when we crave this living water for our arid spirits, lowering our buckets into that well to quench our spiritual thirst, to regain our strength and power, and to rest until every thought of care, confusion, or depression is lifted.

When you become tired from your journey and your weary soul shrivels up, feeling bone-dry, what do you do? When every last drop of spiritual vitality has evaporated, do you take advantage and dip your bucket into a well to replenish your parched spirit and soul? But which well…the world’s well of lifeless drivel or the Father’s well of living water?

When in your arid condition, do you hear the Lord whisper His invitation to you, “Come, sit by the well”?

Lord, when life’s trials and schedules overwhelm me, remind me to come sit with You by the well of the Father, that I may drink of those thirst- quenching, Living Waters to replenish my soul and spirit. Amen.

Questions: What do you do when your body becomes tired and weary of what you do? What did Jesus do when He got weary?

“When he summoned a famine on the land and broke all supply of bread, he had sent a man ahead of them, Joseph, who was sold as a slave. His feet were hurt with fetters; his neck was put in a collar of iron; until what he had said came to pass, the word of the Lord tested him. The king sent and released him; the ruler of the peoples set him free; he made him lord of his house and ruler of all his possessions, to bind his princes at his pleasure and to teach his elders wisdom.” (Psalm 105:17-22)

This is the way the Psalmist describes what happened to Joseph in the Book of Genesis. His jealous brothers left him to die. He was sold into slavery, but lived. God eventually raised Joseph up to be second only to the King, just when his brothers needed him the most. It was in a time of famine and Egypt, because of Joseph’s wise reliance and trust in God, had obediently stored grain away in advance.

The way the Psalm tells the story brings out a great truth. When tragedy hits us, we feel bound by circumstances, fettered and shackled by tragedy. But if we stay in the Word, and trust God enough to listen to Him, we will make it through. The lessons we learn during that time will be stored up inside us. God knows there will someday be someone who goes through the same tragedy. He knows we can be there to help them through their famine of hurt, anger, doubt and loss. We can be the nourishment they need because God has stored it up in us, preparing us for just that time.

People often try to answer why bad things happen to good people, or to be more precisely, people of God. Yes, it is because of free will in a fallen, broken world. It may be to teach us to depend more on Him. But, this part of Psalm 105 gives another reason. Perhaps, it is because down the line, someone else who has less faith at that time will go through a similar thing and will need us to minister them through it. We can help release their bounds, and bind them to God’s love.

When I became widowed last November, I thanked God He had prepared not only my big sister in widowhood ahead of me, but several faith-filled women who had just recently come into my life.  Up until that moment I became one of them, it never dawned on me why so many widows had become my close friends.

But, God knew. Shackled by fear of the unknown and fettered with hurt, my famine was eased by their experiences.  They prayed me through it, and still are. My bounds are loosening. I have no doubt it is for His purpose and glory. One day, I will be like Joseph in some other woman’s famine.

Whatever you are going through—and we all are going through something, or are about to because that is the nature of this life on earth—have confidence that God is watching over you. He does truly have a plan. He will release the shackles in His timing and give you the opportunity to store up what you have labored over. There will come a time for you to share your pains, and victories, with others. Like Joseph’s brothers, they may not expect it to be you. But God does.

Question: Has God placed someone in your life who needs your stored up grain to ease their famine? Or, if you are in that famine, will you trust Him to send someone with grain to you?

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“When he summoned a famine on the land and broke all supply of bread, he had sent a man ahead of them, Joseph, who was sold as a slave. His feet were hurt with fetters; his neck was put in a collar of iron; until what he had said came to pass, the word of the Lord tested him. The king sent and released him; the ruler of the peoples set him free; he made him lord of his house and ruler of all his possessions, to bind his princes at his pleasure and to teach his elders wisdom” (Psalm 105:17-22).

This is the way the Psalmist describes what happened to Joseph in the Book of Genesis. His jealous brothers left him to die. He was sold into slavery, but lived. God eventually raised Joseph up to be second only to the King, just when his brothers needed him the most. It was in a time of famine and Egypt, because of Joseph’s wise reliance and trust in God, had obediently stored grain away in advance.

The way the Psalm tells the story brings out a great truth. When tragedy hits us, we feel bound by circumstances, fettered and shackled by tragedy. But if we stay in the Word, and trust God enough to listen to Him, we will make it through. The lessons we learn during that time will be stored up inside us. God knows there will someday be someone who goes through the same tragedy. He knows we can be there to help them through their famine of hurt, anger, doubt and loss. We can be the nourishment they need because God has stored it up in us, preparing us for just that time.

People often try to answer why bad things happen to good people, or to be more precisely, people of God. Yes, it is because of free will in a fallen, broken world. It may be to teach us to depend more on Him. But, this part of Psalm 105 gives another reason. Perhaps, it is because down the line, someone else who has less faith at that time will go through a similar thing and will need us to minister them through it. We can help release their bounds, and bind them to God’s love.

When I became widowed last November, I thanked God He had prepared not only my big sister in widowhood ahead of me, but several faith-filled women who had just recently come into my life.  Up until that moment I became one of them, it never dawned on me why so many widows had become my close friends.

But, God knew. Shackled by fear of the unknown and fettered with hurt, my famine was eased by their experiences.  They prayed me through it, and still are. My bounds are loosening. I have no doubt it is for His purpose and glory. One day, I will be like Joseph in some other woman’s famine.

Whatever you are going through—and we all are going through something, or are about to because that is the nature of this life on earth—have confidence that God is watching over you. He does truly have a plan. He will release the shackles in His timing and give you the opportunity to store up what you have labored over. There will come a time for you to share your pains, and victories, with others. Like Joseph’s brothers, they may not expect it to be you. But God does.

Questions: Has God placed someone in your life who needs your stored up grain to ease their famine? Or, if you are in that famine, will you trust Him to send someone with grain to you?

“Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business” (Luke 2:49)?

These are the words spoken by Jesus to His Mother, after she had anxiously been looking for Him. It was their custom to go to Jerusalem at the Feast of the Passover every year.  At that time, Jesus was only twelve years old. His parents, not knowing that Jesus had stayed behind, began their journey back home.

An entire day went by, when they discovered He wasn’t with them.  When their own relatives and acquaintances also didn’t know where he was, they went back. After seeking Him for three days, they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.

I can only imagine the look on Mary’s face, when she finally found Him, and asked, (I’m sure with a stern voice) “Son, why have You done this to us?  Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously”.

Jesus answered her and with words they couldn’t understand. His words held a profound truth. If we can understand and take it to heart it will have a great impact on us.

When Jesus said “I must be about My Father’s business”, He was not referring to Joseph, but to His Heavenly Father.  In John 5:19 Jesus said that He can do nothing by himself  but only what he sees His Father doing.  Again, in John 6:38 He says that He came down from heaven, not to do His will, but to do the will of the One who sent Him.

Jesus did nothing apart from His Father and longed only to live the purpose His Heavenly Father had for Him.  Only He truly knew what it entailed and all He was called to, likewise, only you know your Father’s purpose for your own life.

Do you know that God created you with purpose? You are His Workmanship and He prepared works for you even before the foundation of the earth was laid.  I believe that if we take the stance Jesus took – living out of a heavenly perspective, being aligned with the will of God our Father, knowing His thoughts towards us for our lives – His purpose will prevail and succeed through us, giving Him glory!

Nothing could stop Jesus from fulfilling His purpose to destroy the works of the devil, set the captives free, bring good news to the people and heal all those who were oppressed by the devil.   No, not even His own earthly  parents.

We must be about our Father’s business.  We must ask Him what it is He created us for and be obedient walking into His perfectly chosen destiny for our lives.

Heavenly Father, I ask that you show me what Your will is for my life.  I ask that You reveal to me what You have prepared for me to do, Lord, and that You would open my eyes to see as Jesus saw what You had for Him to do, and that  You would open my ears to hear Your voice speaking to me the truth of Your will.  Strengthen me to do what you ?have called me to do.  In Jesus’  Name.  Amen.

TAKE THE NEXT STEP: Find your purpose

Questions: Do you know for what purpose God has created you? Is there something that is keeping you from being obedient to what He wants you to do?

About the Author Brigitte Straub

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Has God given you a promise? Perhaps in the reading of your Bible a verse lit up or in prayer you heard God say something specific to you. But then, nothing happens. In fact, your circumstances turn for the worse. Where are the promised blessings?

As a young man, God had given Joseph a promise that one day he would rule. But then, for the next thirteen years everything went exactly opposite to the promise. His brothers, who hated him, sold him to the Egyptians. As a slave in Potiphar’s house, he was falsely accused of raping his master’s wife. Then he was thrown into prison and forgotten.

But Joseph refused to let his circumstances shape his outlook. He allowed no self-pity or bitterness to rob him of energy. Instead, he chose to use each circumstance – whether at home, at Potiphar’s house, or in prison– as God’s appointed place where he would serve him with all of his heart. And God blessed him and made him a blessing.

Instead of using the delayed promise as a reason to grumble against God, he kept it in the back of his mind to give him courage and strength. He let go of expectations of how and when God would carry out the promise. In the meantime God was up to something much bigger than he could have imagined. In time – God’s time! – Joseph became ruler of all of Egypt!

God has a good plan for our lives also. “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

Trust him even when life doesn’t make sense. God’s good plan is being carried out and this set of circumstances is needed to prepare you. As Joseph’s life points out, even tragedy and evil can be part of God’s plan for good.

A delay is not denial, but a time of preparing you for the promise.

Dear God, cleanse my heart of self-pity and resentment I want to trust you that your good plan for my life is being carried out in my present circumstances.  Amen.

Questions: What is God’s purpose for a delayed answer to prayer? What do you do with your time while you are waiting for an answer from God?

About the Author Helen Grace Lescheid

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In the Bible a new day begins with evening. In the creation account in Genesis we read: “and there was evening and there was morning, one day.”

When God wants to take us into a new day (a new experience), he begins with darkness. He leads us into a period of confusion, pain and disappointment. Take, for example, Joseph. God had told him he would be ruling one day. Instead, we find him in an Egyptian prison wrongly accused. Forgotten by family and friends and even by the cup bearer whom he had helped. Where was God in all this? He was preparing Joseph for his “new day” experience. In God’s perfect plan and timing, Joseph did reign over Egypt. God’s promise was realized.

Can you relate to this process? I can. Since my teens, I’ve had a deep desire to reach others with God’s message of hope and salvation. I wanted to be a good Christian – a good testimony.

Instead, God led me through a dark, confusing time when it seemed that I was losing everything I valued – even my credibility as a Christian.

Still, in the midst of it all, I had a deep knowledge that God was in it. “This suffering is measured,” I seemed to hear him saying. “It has meaning not just for you, but for others as well.”

Now looking back, I can honestly say, “It was the best thing that happened to me.” Because of this night-time experience, I can now connect to people in a more compassionate way. The pat answers are gone. In no time at all, people want to share their hearts with me. Christian and non-Christian alike. Love and empathy fills my heart for them – I want to hear what they have to say, I want to know them because I truly care.

It’s amazing, also, how people are relating to my writings. My articles have been published in many magazines worldwide and in 33 books. Moreover, I have published four books which take the message of God’s love to readers in Canada, U.S.A., Germany, Brazil, Paraguay, and other countries. (See www.helenlescheid.com)

Perhaps, you’re going through a night-time experience right now. Be encouraged. It will end and you will experience the excitement of “a new day” when your deepest longings will be realized.

Lord, I want to have courage for the great sorrows of life, and patience for the small ones; and when I have accomplished my daily task, I want to go to sleep in peace, knowing that you are awake.

Questions: Are you going through a very dark period right now? How are you responding? What purpose do you think God has in allowing you to go through this experience?

About the Author Helen Grace Lescheid

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“Then they loaded their donkeys with their grain and departed. And as one of them opened his sack to give his donkey fodder at the lodging place, he saw his money in the mouth of his sack. He said to his brothers, ‘My money has been put back; here it is in the mouth of my sack!’ At this their hearts failed them, and they turned trembling to one another, saying, ‘What is this that God has done to us?’” (Genesis 42:26-28)

The brothers who had sold their own brother Joseph into slavery and left him in a ditch were now in Egypt begging for food. But, they did not recognize the right hand man of Pharaoh is their long lost brother.  When they were granted grain and found the money they had paid was also in the sacks, they panicked. “What is this that God has done to us?” they asked.

Instead of seeing the generosity of Joseph, they thought they’d been tricked. They were convinced soldiers would be coming over the next sand dune to arrest them for stealing from the Pharaoh. Is this how God was to punish them for the burden of sin they had carried for so many years? Was that Holy zap from the sky aimed at their heads?

The trouble was, they did not know God as they should have, even though they were raised by a man we now consider a Patriarch of the faith. They did not know Him a promise keeper, a provider, and Lord of All. The weight of their unconfessed sins had blocked them from knowing His loving Grace and Mercy.  They had spent years waiting to be found out and were fearful of when that fateful day would come. So, they convinced themselves God was a revengeful, conniving type of god. Their guilt had formed God into their own image.

But unless they repented and turned back to God forgiven and cleansed, how would they become the founders of the Twelve tribes, thus fulfilling God’s covenant with their grandfather Abraham? They needed a catalyst to come back into relationship with their Heavenly Father. So, what had God done? He had begun the process to turn their hearts around. We can all learn from their story.

God knew deep down there was good in them. They didn’t say “Aha. Lucky us. We got the grain free after all. Let’s go blow the money.” They still had a conscience. Even if we know all about God and have been surrounded by Godly influences, if there is something we have done and feel guilty about it, we block God’s blessings. Like a child fearful of when his mother or father will discover he broke Grandmother’s antique vase, we live in fear and anticipation of the punishment until it consumes our perception of how God will react from then on.

If left unconfessed, it can eat away at our hearts and embitter our soul.  But, nothing is hidden from God, is it? Like the wise parent who knows all anyway, He will lead us full circle to confront our wrong doing. Why? Because He loves us and doesn’t wish for anything to separate us from Him, even our own guilt. Until we can stand before Him cleansed, how can we look Him in the eye and take the blessings He wants to bestow on us? How can we see the gold mixed in with the grain as a good thing?

Question: What is blocking you from receiving God’s blessings and promises for your life? Do you dare ask Him to help you confront that?

About the Author Julie Cosgrove

Tired of trying to live the Christian life in your own power?

1In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2(This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3And everyone went to his own town to register.

4So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the

8And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 12This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

13Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

14“Glory to God in the highest,

and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”

15When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

16So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Questions: Are you feeling lonely today? Do you have a bruised heart?

About the Author: The Holy Bible