And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the LORD be with us, why then is all this befallen us?  Judges 6:13

When things get tough, sometimes we think God may not be with us or that He has forsaken us.  We must remember though, that God promises, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Hebrews 13:5).  In today’s verse of Scripture, Gideon was convinced that God had forsaken Israel because of the attack of the Midianites.  Nonetheless, God had made a covenant with Abraham that stated, “I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee” (Genesis 17:7).  God always honors His Word (Matthew 24:35).  Even though Gideon may have felt like God was not present, He was present because of the covenant He made concerning Israel with Abraham.  Also, even though at times we may feel like God is not present, He is present because of what His Son Jesus Christ did on our behalf.  Hebrews 8:6 states that Jesus “is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.”  God placed our sin upon His Son Jesus and forsook Him on the cross so that we would never have to be forsaken (Matthew 27:46 & Mark 15:34).  God is always with you even when things look bad and it doesn’t feel like it.

For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.  1 John 5:4

Our faith is strong enough to overcome any thing that the world may throw our way.  Consider the story of Joshua and Caleb.  After spying out the land promised by God to the Children of Israel in Numbers 13, ten of the spies sent by Moses said that they would not be able to take the land God had promised to give the Hebrews while Joshua and Caleb said that they were able to take it (Numbers 14:6-8).  Additionally, the millions of people that Moses led out of Egypt towards the Promised Land also complained and doubted that God would give them the land since there were giants in the land (Numbers 14:1-4).  What does this story represent?  Joshua and Caleb represent two people that were strong enough to stand in opposition to the world as they knew it.  The millions of Israelites that doubted can represent the world and Joshua and Caleb can represent the person that is courageous enough to stand in faith against the masses.  Consequently, Joshua and Caleb were the only ones of that generation to enter the Promised Land.  So what does this mean to you?  Whatever God has promised you, stand in faith until you see the manifestation of it.  It does not matter if everyone in the world says that it is impossible.  Remember that “with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26).

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.  Proverbs 3:5-6

God desires us to walk with Him.  This was God’s desire for mankind from the beginning of creation.  In fact, the Bible says that after God created Adam and Eve, He walked in the Garden of Eden “in the cool of the day” to meet with them (Genesis 3:8).  Our highest priority in life should not be our careers, finances, or even families.  Our greatest priority should be to fellowship with Almighty God.  That is the way He wanted it from the beginning and that is the way it will be long after we leave this earth.  As such, there will be times that we do not have answers to all the problems we are confronted with or questions we may have.   If we knew the answer to everything instantly, we would have no need for God and God desires to direct our paths step by step as indicated in Proverbs 3:6 so that He can fellowship with us in the process.  Psalm 37:23 says that “the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way.”  It delights God to walk with you and reveal things to you step by step.  Don’t be discouraged by not having all the answers at once because the Bible assures us that as we walk with God, His Holy Spirit “will guide you into all truth” (John 16:13).  God delights in revealing secret things to us as believers (Proverbs 3:32).  In fact, Jeremiah 33:3 states, “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.”  He may not reveal everything at once, but He will reveal things as you continue to seek Him.  Keep walking with God and He will reveal answers to life’s questions and the issues you are facing in time.  In the process of walking with Him, you will gain a deeper appreciation of His faithfulness, love, and grace for you!

And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him.  Genesis 37:4

Sometimes people may treat you harshly or do things that are unfair to you.  Perhaps like Joseph experienced, they may even be members of your own family or close friends.  If you have or are experiencing this, don’t be discouraged.  Their hatred or unfair treatment of you does not necessarily come from the fact that they have a bad heart or that they are a bad person but it is a byproduct of God’s favor on your life.  Psalm 30:5 (NLT) is clear that “his favor lasts a lifetime.”  There will be tangible signs of God’s favor in your life like there were with Joseph.  The favor of God in Joseph’s life was evident to his brothers as a result of the dream he had that their sheaves bowed to his sheaf (Genesis 37:7), when he dreamed the sun, moon, and 11 stars bowed to him (Genesis 37:9), and because of the coat of many colors that he received from his father (Genesis 37:3).  The favor from his father of course is symbolic of our Heavenly Father God.  As a result of this favor, his brothers plotted to kill him and ultimately sold him into slavery (Genesis 37:26-28).  Nonetheless, since God’s favor was on Joseph and lasts a lifetime he found favor wherever he went (Genesis 39:2, Genesis 39:22-23, and Genesis 41:40) and was ultimately made ruler of all the land of Egypt second in command only to Pharaoh.  Like Joseph, perhaps God’s favor is evident in your life because of a promotion on your job, financial prosperity, doors of opportunity that are opening, physical beauty, or how your family is thriving.  Don’t take their unfair treatment of you or their hatred personally.  It is because you are favored by God which is all that really matters anyway!