The Lord Was With Him
As we read Genesis 39 and 40, one phrase appears again and again... so often that it almost forms the rhythm of the chapter: “The LORD was with Joseph.” (Genesis 39)
Seven times Moses reminds us of it. The LORD was with him when Joseph was sold into slavery. The LORD was with him when he served faithfully in Potiphar’s house. The LORD was with him when false accusation sent him to prison. The LORD caused his work to prosper even in confinement.
Over and over, Moses wants us to see something clearly: Joseph’s circumstances do not determine God’s presence. The Lord is just as present in the prison as He was in the household.
Then in chapter 40 another moment of clarity arrives. When Joseph is asked to interpret the dreams of Pharaoh’s officials, he immediately redirects the attention: “Do not interpretations belong to God?” (Genesis 40:8)
Joseph understands something that suffering has taught him: the Lord is not only present, He is directing the story. And yet the chapter ends with a quiet disappointment. Joseph asks the cupbearer to remember him before Pharaoh. It seems like the moment of deliverance might finally arrive.
But the final line reads: “Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.” (Genesis 40:23)
From a human perspective, this feels like failure. The opportunity is missed. The help Joseph hoped for disappears. But the repeated refrain of chapter 39 still governs the story. “The Lord was with him”.
Even forgotten by people, Joseph was not forgotten by God. The delay, the silence, the waiting… none of it meant that the Lord had stepped away from the story. In fact, it was precisely through these unseen moments that God was preparing the next chapter.
And often, that is how the Lord works in our lives as well. We see the faithfulness. We trust God with the moment in front of us. And then the outcome we hoped for doesn’t arrive. Doors close. People forget. Opportunities pass. But the quiet truth of Genesis 39–40 remains: The Lord is still with His people, even when the story seems stalled.
Joseph’s future was never resting on the memory of a cupbearer. It was resting in the hands of the covenant God who had been guiding the story all along. And the same is true for us.
A Departing Thought
Joseph’s future did not depend on the memory of a cupbearer.. it rested in the faithfulness of the Lord. So does yours!
Seven times Moses reminds us of it. The LORD was with him when Joseph was sold into slavery. The LORD was with him when he served faithfully in Potiphar’s house. The LORD was with him when false accusation sent him to prison. The LORD caused his work to prosper even in confinement.
Over and over, Moses wants us to see something clearly: Joseph’s circumstances do not determine God’s presence. The Lord is just as present in the prison as He was in the household.
Then in chapter 40 another moment of clarity arrives. When Joseph is asked to interpret the dreams of Pharaoh’s officials, he immediately redirects the attention: “Do not interpretations belong to God?” (Genesis 40:8)
Joseph understands something that suffering has taught him: the Lord is not only present, He is directing the story. And yet the chapter ends with a quiet disappointment. Joseph asks the cupbearer to remember him before Pharaoh. It seems like the moment of deliverance might finally arrive.
But the final line reads: “Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.” (Genesis 40:23)
From a human perspective, this feels like failure. The opportunity is missed. The help Joseph hoped for disappears. But the repeated refrain of chapter 39 still governs the story. “The Lord was with him”.
Even forgotten by people, Joseph was not forgotten by God. The delay, the silence, the waiting… none of it meant that the Lord had stepped away from the story. In fact, it was precisely through these unseen moments that God was preparing the next chapter.
And often, that is how the Lord works in our lives as well. We see the faithfulness. We trust God with the moment in front of us. And then the outcome we hoped for doesn’t arrive. Doors close. People forget. Opportunities pass. But the quiet truth of Genesis 39–40 remains: The Lord is still with His people, even when the story seems stalled.
Joseph’s future was never resting on the memory of a cupbearer. It was resting in the hands of the covenant God who had been guiding the story all along. And the same is true for us.
A Departing Thought
Joseph’s future did not depend on the memory of a cupbearer.. it rested in the faithfulness of the Lord. So does yours!
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