So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan. They saw him from afar, and before he came near to them they conspired against him to kill him. – Genesis 37:17b-18
Our cry for connection this week is “I just need to know somebody stays.” People like to stay with you when you are kind to them. If you always give people what they want or tell them what they want to hear, chances are good they will stay.
The problem is, if you are like me, and I know you are, you cannot ALWAYS say or do the thing that will keep everyone else happy. Because of our own sin, and the sin in this world, relationships break. Feelings get hurt. We say things we regret. We hold grudges against others. Conversations become awkward. Our reaction, in these moments, is to simply leave. Leave the conversation. Leave the situation. Leave the person.
Joseph had not been all that easy to get along with. He kept bragging about dreams he had and telling his brothers how they would someday bow to him. From a worldly point of view, it would make sense that his brothers wanted him to pay for these things. They wanted to put him in his place. They even wanted to kill him. They abandoned him.
As much as we think we are likable people, we realize we have said and done things too that make us undesirable to be around. This is especially true for our God, who cannot stand to be in the presence of any disobedience to him. It would actually make sense for God to abandon us, to leave us behind.
However, our God does exactly the opposite. Just as he remained with Joseph, staying with him and using him to save others and bring Him glory – so too God remains with us. He stays with us always in and through the work of His son Jesus, who declared “I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:19).
Prayer: Ever Present God, you were with Joseph through all his days. Remind me today that despite my failures, you will not abandon me either, so I too will bring glory to your name. Amen.
Contributed by Pastor Jarod Koenig
Bible Reading
Read Genesis 37 and record any insights you gain here.
Call to Connection
Journal a prayer for three different people in your life whose needs should be brought before God.