God With Us! — Abide In Him

for December 10-11, 2025

We’re meditating on the wonder that God wants to be with us. It cost Him dearly to make the way; for Jesus to be the way.

Genesis 37–50 tells of a man named Joseph that God used to save many people including the line through which Jesus would come. Joseph lived through unthinkable trials, one after the other. It’s not a story I would have written for anyone, but God used it all for the good of more than just Joseph, and His own glory. God was with Joseph.

We might be tempted to think someone going through hard times is not walking with the Lord. But that’s just not true. As we’ve seen, our God walks with us through the trials and makes them matter. Genesis 39:2 says,

“The LORD was with Joseph,

and he became a successful man,

and he was in the house of his Egyptian master.”

We might think that means Joseph finally had it going on. But this was said while He was still a slave after being thrown in a pit and almost murdered by his brothers, sold into human trafficking, and purchased by an officer of Pharaoh. Not only that, he’s about to be falsely accused and thrown into prison to be left there for quite some time. Success is a life that brings glory to God despite the circumstances. Joseph would be successful in prison, too, because God was with him.

“But the LORD was with Joseph

and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor

in the sight of the keeper of the prison.”

Genesis 39:21

Lord, thank You for sending Jesus, for being with us in the good times and the hard, for making a way for us to be with You forever. Be glorified Immanuel!