Genesis chapter 39

 The Lord was with Joseph both when he was a slave in the house of Potiphar and also when he was falsely accused and imprisoned.  They say that hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, and here we have Potiphar's wife being scorned in no uncertain terms.  After trying unsuccessfully to seduce Joseph, she then accuses him of rape, presumably hoping to get in first with her explanation rather than have Joseph tell the other servants and, worst of all, her husband, what she tried to do.  Basically covering up one evil act with another.

Joseph, having been sold in to slavery by his brothers  was watched over by God and all that he did was blessed so that he became Potiphar's right hand man.  As The Message says, Potiphar was blessed as well as Joseph so much so that all he had to do was eat three meals a day!  He was blessed by association.  But when his wife came to him with the story of the attempted rape, he quite naturally believed her.

Joseph was thrown into prison but even there God blessed him and he was soon running the prison on behalf of the gaoler.

Sometimes, bad things happen to Christians - we or a loved one gets sick, we have marital problems, financial problems, problems with the children (or maybe we don't have children but long to have a child), job problems and so on as well as spiritual attack from the enemy (which may also take the form of illness, financial problems and so on).  We may also be persecuted for our faith, depending upon where we live in the world. 

Being a Christian is not necessarily easy.  I can't imagine for one minute that Joseph felt good being shoved down a well by his brothers, sold into slavery, working for Potiphar, being falsely accused and then thrown into prison.  Yet the bible doesn't tell us that Joseph moaned and groaned.   What it does tell us is that The Lord was with Joseph.  When he was dragged off to slavery, probably beaten and starved on the way, the Lord was with him.  When he was made to work for Potiphar, probably starting off with the lowliest, dirtiest and most unpleasant jobs (cleaning the toilets has got to be one of the worst jobs as far as I am concerned), the Lord was with him.  When Potiphar's wife accused him of rape, the Lord was with him, and when he was thrown into prison, the Lord was with him.  At no time was God absent from Joseph's life, even when Joseph was having a hard time.

Joseph may well have thought that he had been abandoned by God.  After all, how much else could go wrong in his life?  It was just one thing after another, stating with his own family, the ones you would expect to look after him, help him, support him.  But Joseph did not give in to his baser instincts.  He did not rant and rail against God, his brothers, Potiphar's wife and everyone else who had a hand in him ending up in prison.  It would have been so easy to just sit and stew, to be so mad, so unforgiving with everyone, to basically allow hate and anger to rule his life, dwelling on past (and current) misfortunes and the ones who had put him there.  Instead he just got on with life and did the best he could.  There isn't a hint of anger, hatred or unforgiveness.  Instead, Joseph gets on with the job and is blessed by God.  You have to wonder whether God would have blessed him if he was filled with anger and hatred but maybe all that had happened to Joseph was a reality check and it made him aware of how his behaviour with his brothers had let to them treating him the way they did.  Maybe he grew from his experiences, rather than letting his experiences push him down, keep him in that pit of despair and depression that so many fall into.

I reckon this is the same for each one of us.  When we get ill, when people close to us are in pain, when we have problems paying the bills, when the children get into trouble, when we have problems with college/school/work, when people mock and ridicule us because of our faith, the Lord is with us.  In the darkest hours, our deepest needs, even when we feel so lost and alone and as if no one cares, the Lord is with us, just as he was with Joseph.

We may not have the miraculous healings, the abundance of blessings in our bank account, the promotion or job we so desperately want, top marks for that exam or piece of  homework, we may still be ridiculed or persecuted despite all our prayers, but we are never, ever alone and the Lord is always, but always, with us.