God everywhere

⁷ Where can I go from your Spirit?  Where can I flee from your presence?
⁸ If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
⁹ If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,
¹⁰ even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.  Psalm 139: 7-10

I love these verses of assurance that wherever we go God is there. Joseph found this to be true. He did not leave God behind in Canaan when he was sold into slavery. He knew God was with him even in the midst of the great idolatry of Egypt. He knew who was God. God cannot be superseded by anyone or anything else – he is God – the Lord over everything.

We know He never leaves or forsakes us (Joshua 1: 5). He doesn’t leave us the entrance to the tunnel of difficulties, promising to meet us at the other end. He is with us in the darkness, shedding his light, giving us assurance and holding our hand every step of the way.

If we are called across the world or even to a different town, God is already there waiting for us. How can God who loves us, leave us?  Unfortunately our circumstances can sometimes become so huge and difficult that they appear to block out God’s presence and the devil rushes in with his lies of rejection, isolation and abandonment making us doubt God and his promises. But God is there and what we have to do is cry out to God in our darkness and he will show us he is there and has been all along.

Joseph must have done this. Despite being betrayed, sold into slavery, falsely accused, imprisoned, forgotten and abandoned, he never seemed to let go of God. In fact as we have seen he prospered and so was able to say to the brothers when they came to Egypt that it was all God’s doing. What the brothers had meant for harm, God had meant for good and the family was saved (Genesis 45: 8). It was in Egypt that they grew from an extended family into a nation (Genesis 46: 3).

There are no circumstances that separate us from God. Paul was convinced of this (Romans 8: 38 – 39) and there is no place we can go no matter how demonised that God is not with us. He is there through thick and thin and his goodness never fails. The devil may try to persuade you that God has forgotten you or is testing you with awful circumstances but it is a lie. Difficult times may surely come but God is there with us and Jesus assures us that he has overcome every difficulty (John 16: 33).  He will protect us, show us the way and give us his peace as we trust him to work out his plans and purposes for our lives.