"May the Lord be with you" - Gen. 39-40 & Matt. 11

May the Lord be with you...

...and also with you.

This is a common greeting and response for many churches. Unfortunately it isn't too common in the Baptist world. But Genesis 39 reminded me of it. Genesis 39 tells about Joseph and his continual trials. He has already been sold into slavery by his brothers and now we see him seduced by his master's wife who yelled "rape" after he ran away from her advances. Then he is thrown in jail. And after correctly interpreting dreams for two of Pharaoh's men, he is simply forgotten and left in jail.

But all throughout this chapter we see a certain phrase repeated, "The Lord was with Joseph." We see it in verses 2, 3, 21, $ 23. Things went wrong often throughout Joseph's life, but the Lord was with him and He continued to bless and use him throughout his life.

As we spend time with God and recognize that we can and must do so in the midst of whatever takes up most of our time (work, school, family) we will begin to understand what it means to "take His yoke upon us" as Jesus says in Matthew 11. You see, living for Jesus isn't a piece of cake, it takes work, but this path is such that it will make your life peaceful. Again, not to say that you will never have problems or stress, you will! But in the midst of those trials if the Lord is with you, you will have a peace in your mind and heart that transcends the circumstances. In Matthew 11 Jesus says, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke fits perfectly, and the burden I give you is light."

So abiding in Jesus still requires work (carrying a yoke) but Jesus' yoke guides us into straight paths. His guidance is gentle and in His guidance we will find rest in the place of restlessness and the burdens we carry in life will be replaced with His burden, which is light. Soooo,

May the Lord be with you...