LIVING WATERS
For the proclamation of the Gospel and the edification of the Body of Christ
If He Is with Us
Many famous phrases have been said in the world. Some of them have inspired lives and have sustained projects and great enterprises. For example, there is a phrase by Martin Luther King that says: "Today I will have a very heavy day; I will have to bend my knees twice". What a great truth! And what can we say about each of the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, full of grace and truth; of wisdom and knowledge; of justice and love! Truly from His lips He distilled honey.
There is a phrase in the Scriptures that beautifully sums up how our walk in this world should be. We find it in the account of the life of Joseph, one of Jacob's twelve sons. We know that his life was not easy; he faced many vicissitudes and betrayals, but he also knew the joy that comes with wealth, riches and power. In these two areas of life -wealth and poverty; good times and adversity- there was something that sustained Joseph's life, that is: "...but God was with him" (Acts 7:9b). This statement must surely be the best summary of a man's life on earth.
Joseph was able to endure all that he lived through because he held his life on this statement. He knew that God was with him.
There are two moments in Joseph's life in which this phrase is mentioned: The first occurs when he is bought by Potiphar, Pharaoh's officer, who, seeing that God was with Joseph and, therefore, everything he did the Lord prospered him, put him in charge of his house and "...gave into his power all that he had". Despite the treachery of his brothers, the Lord graced and blessed him. "But the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian" (Gen. 39:2) Now it is interesting to note that the reason for the grace found in Joseph does not lie in a personal quality or special ability, but in the fact that God was with him.
The other moment in which this phrase is mentioned, is when Joseph is thrown into prison, as a result of the insults of Potiphar's wife, who accuses him of having dishonored her. This fact must have caused a deep sadness in the heart of this young man; once again his life became difficult and uphill. But there was something that sustained his life even then: "And his master took Joseph, and put him in the prison, where the king's prisoners were, and he was there in the prison. But the Lord was with Joseph..." (Gen. 39:20-21) Whether in prosperity or in prison, God's presence was always with Joseph! Whatever the circumstances, favorable or unfavorable, the most important thing is that God is with us!
The only thing that can sustain our lives, in any circumstance, is God's presence in us. His presence is our greatest blessing! Let us always seek his presence, for if he is with us, all is well.