God with Us, Forever
When you pray, where do you direct your prayer?
Sometimes, when I pray with my family at the dinner table or utter a passing, “Please, Lord, help me,” I do so as if God is far away. In my mind’s eye, God is somewhere else, distant, while I am . . . here.
Both in the more tranquil moments of everyday life and in the more serious trials and suffering, I’ve wondered if God is near. I’ve struggled with feelings of loneliness and isolation in the day-to-day care of my family; I’ve wondered if God hears me as I plead for patience again and again. But it seems like my prayer is unheard, and I’ve cried during hard moments, unsure if the Lord really cares for me.
Apparently, I’m not alone in feeling this way. A friend of mine recently expressed this disparity between what is known—that God is close—and what is felt—that God is far away: “Guys, can you speak biblical truth to me? I know that what I’m feeling isn’t right, but I just can’t shake this feeling that I’m alone and God doesn’t actually care for me.” I was thankful for her honesty since my faith also needs to be encouraged often.
Tim Chester, in his book Enjoying God, reminds readers that this uncertainty of God’s presence stems from the Fall. Like Adam and Eve, we believe the lie that God is distant, selfish, and that he withholds good gifts from us, and we forget that our lives were created for the “intimate involvement of God” (45).
The Bible is replete with reminders that God desires to know us, care for us, and save us. Even when we feel alone and uncared for, forgotten amid our struggles or hard days, Scripture comes through to remind us of what is true. One such reminder is found in the life of Joseph.
God’s Presence, Then
In Genesis 39, we find Joseph in jail because he refused the advances of Potiphar’s wife. This follows numerous heart-wrenching experiences earlier in his life, when he was plotted against, thrown into a pit to die, and then sold into slavery by his own brothers. What betrayal! And now he’s unfairly jailed. While the passage doesn’t tell us how Joseph responded to this punishment, I know how I would’ve responded: “Has God forgotten about me? Am I here all alone?” Embedded in Scripture for those unsure is the Lord’s response, “The Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love” (Gen. 39:20b–21a).
So, what does this reveal to wondering, uncertain hearts? First, we know that the Lord was with Joseph. John Calvin explains: “God, before he opened the door to his servant’s deliverance, entered the very prison to sustain [Joseph] with his strength” (Genesis Commentary). God did not abandon Joseph or leave him to face challenging trials on his own. Instead, God was right there with Joseph, in prison. Our God could have looked down from heaven and thought kindly toward Joseph, but he did more. He entered the unholy place, entered the space of Joseph’s human suffering, to be with him.
Next, we see that God has shown Joseph steadfast love. In English, we have a beautiful picture of “steadfast love,” meaning that it is enduring and eternal. In Hebrew, this phrasing is connected to God’s promises to his people. And when God promises to preserve and care for his people, he keeps his promise!
God showed Joseph steadfast love, and this love is grounded in God’s eternal character and care for his people. We know that Joseph was an admirable man, but this isn’t why God brought himself low to be near him in prison. Joseph didn’t need to make himself presentable, clean his prison cell, search his own heart for goodness, or think positively about his predicament. No, God drew near to Joseph when he was at his lowest because he loved him.
God showed covenantal care for Joseph because Joseph was his. God shows covenantal love for the Christian because the Christian is his; God shows covenantal, enduring, never-giving-up love for us because we are his!
God’s Presence, Now
The steadfast love God shows us is secured through the death and resurrection of Jesus, who was the very presence of God on this earth, Immanuel, literally “God with us.” Since Jesus bore the wrath reserved for sinners like us, our sin no longer separates us from the presence of God.
There have been countless times when I’ve wondered if my doubt, anxiety, anger, or sadness might cause God to stop loving me. Maybe that outburst was the last straw? Am I trusting God enough? Perhaps God has finally left me, or maybe simply forgotten about me?
I know I’m not alone in feeling this way. We must remember that this couldn’t be further from the truth! When God promises that nothing can separate us from his love, which is centered in Christ, that this means nothing can get in the way of God’s love—not even us (Rom. 8:35–39).
Christ’s sacrifice secured God’s eternal presence with us. We see this clearly in John’s gospel when Jesus himself assures believers that the Holy Spirit, the presence of God, will be with us forever (John 14:16). This means that even now—in our most mundane moments, in our toughest trials, when we discipline out of love, when we raise our voices in anger, when we face loss or fear or anxiety—that God is in that moment, with us, just as he was with Joseph.
We serve a God who has stepped into our unsacred circumstances out of love for the sinner—to cover Adam and Eve after the Fall (Gen 3:8), to be with Joseph in prison, to die on the cross with our sin in his body (1 Pet. 2:24). Jesus’ presence on this earth secured and assures us of God’s nearness.
God’s Presence, Forever
God’s presence “now” is compounded by the gospel’s promise of God’s presence “forever.” Elyse Fitzpatrick explains this promise in relation to “now” and “forever” this way: “We’ve inherited great riches, haven’t we? We’ve got new life now that will fit us for heaven, but not even that is the greatest joy we’ve been given. The greatest joy of all is to have God to be all our own. God himself has declared, ‘I will be their God, and they shall be my people’ (Jer. 31:33)” (Because He Loves Me, 90). God’s unfiltered, unhindered presence in heaven is secured for us in Christ; being in God’s presence in eternity means that we’ll always know, without a doubt, that God cares for us, and that he loves us, and that he is with us forever!
So, like me, like my friend who often feels alone in suffering, and like the biblical figure Joseph, God hasn’t forgotten us. No: in Christ, God willingly left the perfection of heaven to dwell with us in both the suffering and sweetness of our lives. He sees our struggles and our good days, he hears our faltering prayers, and he knows our deepest longings. Truly, God’s care and love for us, for you and for me, is deeply personal. He has not forgotten us, and more than simply remembering us, he promises that he is with us (Heb. 10:22–23).
And, someday, because of God’s deep love for us in Jesus, you and I will experience the fullness of God’s presence in eternity, together.
Ashley Anthony is a pastor’s wife, mom of four, literature instructor, and seminary student. She’s a member of College Church in Wheaton, Illinois, and loves discovering how theological and scriptural truths converge with the daily lives of women. Find more of her writing on Instagram.