“The jail’s commander paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s supervision, because the Lord was with him and made everything he did successful.” – Genesis 39:23 (CEB)
The passage ends where it began: “because the Lord was with him.” Prison or household, the constant was God’s presence and Joseph’s staying connected to it. Presence like that is not automatic; it is practiced.
This week we’ve named a simple way to practice it, the breath prayer, a short line prayed again and again until your connection to God runs underneath everything else you do. It is one shape of the promise of prayer we make here. You don’t have to feel especially holy to begin. You just have to breathe, and turn that breath toward God.
Tomorrow we gather to do together what the breath prayer does alone, to stay connected to the God who stays with us. Come and be part of it. We worship at 8:30 and 10:15, and there is room for you. Online worship is available at youtube.com/@mcphersonfirst.
God, when the words run out, keep me connected to you by the rhythm of my own breath. Through Christ our Lord, Amen.