You will get through this - John McCarthy - April 19th Young Adults Class
Teachers
Lesson Summary
In this third lesson of the "You'll Get Through This" series, John McCarthy used the life of Joseph to teach about God's sustaining presence during life's hardest seasons. The class opened with a framework for hard times: trials won't be painless or quick, but God will use difficulties for good, and believers are called neither to despair nor to be naive. McCarthy then introduced a modern example—the Jasper family—whose young son Cooper died in a dune buggy accident, illustrating how believers face genuine "bottom moments" when life crashes rather than merely bumps. The bulk of the lesson focused on Genesis 39, where Joseph, freshly sold into Egyptian slavery, could have fallen into depression and anger. Instead, the text reveals Joseph thriving in Potiphar's house because "the Lord was with Joseph." McCarthy emphasized that God's presence was mentioned five times in Genesis 39:2-6, and Joseph's success made God known to those around him. The teacher applied this principle to contemporary believers, encouraging them to desire God's presence as David and Moses did. McCarthy concluded with practical ways to recognize and maintain awareness of God's presence: believing in His presence even when not emotionally felt, standing on His promises such as Hebrews 13:5 ("I will never leave you nor forsake you"), and claiming Jesus' promise in Matthew 28:20 that He is with us always.
Key Scriptures
The Lord was with Joseph and he became a successful man and he was in the house of his Egyptian master. His master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord caused all that he did to succeed in his hands. So Joseph found favor in his sight and attended him. And he made him overseer of his house and put him in charge of all that he had. From the time that he had made him overseer in his house and over all that he had, the Lord blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake. The blessing of the Lord was on all that he had in house and field. So he left all that he had in Joseph's charge. And because of him, he had no concern about anything but the food that he ate.