Many Christians have a fairly optimistic expectation when it comes to life and ministry, feeling that with enough prayer and hard work they can change the world. Others have a more pessimistic view, with little expectation of fruit or of God using them. But Scripture offers a more nuanced option, a realism that knows that God is with us to work through us even in the hard spots and difficult times in life. Listen as Pastor Luke Herche preaches on Genesis 39:1–20, the account of Joseph and Potiphar’s wife, showing in this passage God’s continuing plan to bless the nations through the offspring of Abraham. Pastor Luke focuses on four main points:

—God is with his people, to bless the nations through his people.

—Temptation and persecution make it seem as if God is absent and his blessing has failed.

—Jesus faced God’s curse and absence that we might know his presence and blessing.

—Jesus is with you; trust God in your calling, whatever may come, confident in his resurrection power.

Part of a series on the book of Genesis.

From Sunday Worship, September 21, 2025.

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Want to go deeper? Take some time to reflect on the sermon with the following questions:

If you were retelling Joseph’s story in this passage to a friend, which moments would you highlight most vividly, and why do they stand out to you?

This passage raises a big question: when life unravels through temptation or injustice, where is God? How do you wrestle with that in your own story?

Joseph’s life reminds us that blessing isn’t about circumstances but about God’s presence. What makes it hard to believe that God is with us in our difficulty? What would help remind you of that reality in difficult times?

God blesses “the nations” through his people. What might living as a bearer of Christ’s blessing look like in your work, home, or community this week?

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All Souls (Urbana, IL) is a part of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), a Christian, Reformed denomination with historic and theological roots in the Protestant Reformation.