With You

Joshua 1:^3&5 “I promise you what I promised Moses: ‘Wherever you set foot, you will be on land I have given you… No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you.”

The best things in life happen when we give up control. Luke 1:^26-29 “In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favoured woman! The Lord is with you!” Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean.” (emphasis added). When God calls you favoured just know it comes with some responsibilities. If God calls you His favourite child, you need to know that it comes with responsibility. The statement, ‘The Lord is with you’, means a lot to the Jews historically.

We see examples in the scriptures of when God wants to bring people out of the dungeon, for instance. He manifests His presence with them and says, ‘The Lord is with you’. Like when the angel came to Gideon and said, ‘Mighty man of valour, the Lord is with you’. So, when the angel said to Mary, ‘The Lord is with you’, Mary was perplexed. Sometimes, in life when you are going through some situations and God is saying, ‘I am with you’. You are tempted to say to Him, ‘Prove it!’ The Word of God says in Acts 7:^9-10 “These patriarchs were jealous of their brother Joseph, and they sold him to be a slave in Egypt. But God was with him and rescued him from all his troubles…”.

The Lord was with Joseph when he was sold into slavery. When Joseph was left in the pit, the Lord was with him. When Joseph was a servant in Potiphar’s house, the Lord was with him. When Joseph was accused falsely and there was a scandal around Joseph, the Lord was with him. When Joseph was thrown into prison, the Lord was with Joseph. And when Joseph became Prime Minister, the Lord was with Joseph. Interestingly, it is only when we become ‘Prime Minister’ or when we have the ‘Prime Minister’ experience that we believe that our Great God is with us. But guess what? God was with Joseph in the prison. God is with you in that ‘prison’.

God was with Joseph in Potiphar’s house when he was accused falsely. God is with you even in false accusations. When Joseph was in the pit, God was with Joseph. You may feel like you are in a pit right now, but God is with you even in the pit. You may feel like you are being sold by your brothers, sold by the brethren into slavery. But guess what? The Lord is with you. God is saying to you today, ‘I am with you’. The Lord is with you, relax.

Prayer: Father, no matter what I go through or where I am, give me an assurance of Your presence with me, in the Mighty Name of Jesus. Amen!