Genesis 39:2, 20b-21- “The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master…But while Joseph was there in the prison, the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden.”
Genesis 41:38 - “So Pharaoh asked them, ‘Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?’”

We tend to define our life based on our perception of our progress. Am I where I thought I would be at this age? Am I happy? Is my life successful?

In reality, life is never defined by our performance or circumstances. What really makes any life worth living each day is the presence and protection and pleasure of the almighty, all-satisfying God.

After being sold into slavery by his own brothers, Joseph surprisingly rose to power in perhaps the most powerful empire in the world. Whether in power or in prison, Joseph’s life was hope-filled, meaningful, and successful, not because he worked so hard or received what he deserved, but because God was with him. The Lord was with him in success - and the Lord was with him in prison.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oL6HlzQZLo

…The greater reality is that, if you have been called and rescued into a relationship with God, he always writes a better story for you than you would write for yourself. The “better” is based on this: God himself is the best you could ever have or experience; fullness of life is found not in any earthly success, relationship or accomplishment, but in his unearned favor and being with you through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. (Taken with edits from Marshall Segal’s article, Love the Life You Never Wanted, at desiringgod.org.)

With the help of his Spirit, let us trust in our Father’s unfathomable, fierce love in whatever circumstances we are in. Let us thank him for his presence with us through the Holy Spirit. Let us rejoice in his unfathomable, fierce love for us in Jesus Christ. Let our confidence in him be increasingly sure as our life stories are redeemed and rewritten by and into his story.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qv-SXz_exKE

-AP