Jesus Is With Us

Published 11/7/19

Read Psalm 139:17-18

"How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I would count them, they are more than the sand. I awake, and I am still with you."

Reflect

How does it make you feel that God is always present? Why? What comfort is there in these verses?

Joseph was a prisoner. If you asked him why, he'd say he was innocent just like everyone else. But Joseph was innocent. While serving in the household of an Egyptian official, Joseph refused to be seduced by the official's wife. So she screamed "rape" and next thing he knew, Joseph was in prison.

But he didn't blame God. A lot of bad things had happened to Joseph, but he took them all in stride knowing that God was still at work. While in prison, Joseph had the opportunity to help a servant of Pharaoh himself and the servant promised to put in a good word for Joseph. As Joseph watched the servant leave, he must have smiled thinking that finally things were looking better. That's how chapter 40 of Genesis ends. Chapter 41 begins with these heartbreaking words, "Two years later..." (Genesis 41:1, NLT).

Two years! Just like that we lose 24 months of Joseph's life. How long was it till he realized Pharaoh's servant had forgotten him? Joseph had strong faith in God to this point, did it falter during those two years? What did he do with his time? Did he get frustrated knowing that he could be serving God so much better as a free man than rotting away in prison?

In a lot of ways, people today are like Joseph. Even though we may not be in prison, a lot of us are locked into a monotonous daily routine that rarely changes. We wake up, go to work or school, come home, eat supper, relax or do some housework, then go to bed. These are ordinary days and they can get old fast.

Yet God wants to be involved. The Bible says God is always thinking about us. "How precious are your thoughts about me, O God! They are innumerable! I can't even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand!" (Psalms 139:17-18, NLT). But how do we involve Him? How do we keep God in our minds even in the mundane?

Pray

Lord, thank you for your incredible care in crafting my life. I praise you that no day has to be ordinary when walking with you. Amen.