Be Strong and Courageous

During the last week at our Holiday Kids Club we’ve been looking at the story of Joseph and the rough treatment he suffered from the evil acts of his brothers and others.

In Genesis chapter 39, Joseph was falsely accused of harming a senior official’s wife, and as a result, he ended up in prison.

As we discussed this tragic moment in Joseph’s life, I asked the children in our programme to tell the group what they thought Joseph would have been feeling as he was alone in prison, falsely accused.

The kids suggested that Joseph would have felt confused, or sad, or angry, and even lonely.

The Bible doesn’t really tell us about Joseph’s feelings… but it does tell us that God never abandoned him during those difficult times.

We read that “the LORD was with Joseph in the prison and showed him his faithful love…” and that “The LORD was with him and caused everything he did to succeed.” (Genesis 39:21, 23).

As we reflected on how Joseph must have felt, we sang together the well-known song by Colin Buchanan, ‘Be strong and courageous’, which helped remind us all of the faithfulness that God has for his people.

And we were reminded that even in the most difficult times, we should remember that God will never leave us or forsake us, and that he works through all things for the good of those who love him.

And as we saw on the final, full day of the kids program, the evil that was done by Joseph’s brothers and others was something that God used to bring good:

“You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.” (Genesis 50:20)

What a great comfort and joy to know that our loving God is totally in control of everything!

JODIE McNEILL