God Gave Joseph Success & Strength In All Circumstances

“The Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.” —GENESIS 39:23

I love the fact that Joseph lived such a New Testament life without ever having even the Old Testament. God was his strength, the fortress in which he lived, but another aspect is that God was his security.

When we’re in a good situation; we enjoy our work, our health is good, our family life is excellent and our finances are sufficient, the easiest thing in the world is to become secure in those things. How we know we are secure in those things is when we lose them, or even the prospect of losing them, feels like an earthquake running through our veins. There are many people who can’t stop working, because they think they will lose their usefulness; others may lose a loved one and their whole world is wrapped around them, and others feel doomed and destroyed by substantial financial loss.  

Through all the suffering and hardship Joseph endured, his identity and security remained consistent in God. He trusted God, was dependent upon Him and related everything he did to God. When brought before Pharaoh and asked to interpret his dreams, he said, “I cannot do it, but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires” (Genesis 41:16). In God’s greater desire for us to know real security in Christ, He will sometimes take away those things that we have substituted for God as the basis of our security. It’s frightening to lose them, but God will allow that to happen for the greater purpose of discovering a far deeper security that transcends any situation that comes our way.  

When we turn to the New Testament, Paul knew the secret of being content in any situation. He writes, “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I’ve learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:12-13). That doesn’t mean he could fly over the moon, but that in every situation, he is able to live contentedly, because his strength and security derived from the life of Christ indwelling him. 
 
Like Joseph, Paul’s security and identity was in God alone, and that is something not anyone or any circumstance can destroy or take away when it is the real thing in us.

Thank You, Lord, for being my strength and the rock solid foundation in which I am secure.

In taking a good look at all I have, where does my security lie?