The bible is filled with examples of people suffering while living to honor God. In 2 Timothy 3:12 (NASB1995), Paul wrote: Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. But God will sometimes allow us to be in positions of struggle and suffering for various reasons, and sometimes our suffering will be for a greater good that we can’t see yet.
Joseph, Israel’s favorite son, is an early example. His brothers hated and resented him. He had dreams about the rest of his family bowing down to him, and his brothers did not like that idea. So, when Joseph was sent on an errand to check on the welfare of his brothers who were out pasturing the flocks away from home, they conspired against him, initially plotted to kill him, put him in a pit he couldn’t climb out of, and then sold him into slavery to a merchant caravan on its way to Egypt. Joseph’s brothers stole his coat, dipped it in goat’s blood, and told their father he appeared to have been mauled by a wild animal.
Joseph ended up as a slave to Potiphar, the captain of the pharaoh’s bodyguard in Egypt. There, he served his new master faithfully, and Potiphar put Joseph in charge of his household. Potiphar’s wife desired Joseph and tried to seduce him, but he would not lay with her and escaped leaving his garment in her hand. Angry, she told her husband that Joseph tried to assault her, and Joseph was then thrown into prison even though he had committed no crime.
In the prison, God gave Joseph favor in the sight of the warden, and so the warden put Joseph in charge of the prisoners and made him responsible for the things that went on there without any supervision over his work. While Joseph was in the prison, the pharaoh’s butler and cook were also thrown in prison, and one night both of them had dreams. Joseph interpreted the dreams, telling the butler he would be restored to his former position, and the cook that he would be executed, and it was so. Joseph asked the butler to remember him when he was released, and to speak to pharaoh of him because he was innocent. However, the butler failed to remember him and speak of him as Joseph had asked.
Pharaoh later had two dreams and needed someone to interpret them as no one in Egypt had been able to give the interpretation. At this point, the butler remembered Joseph, and he was brought before pharaoh. After Joseph gave the interpretation of his dreams, indicating that there would be 7 years of plenty followed by 7 years of famine, pharaoh elevated Joseph to be second in command of all of Egypt, only answerable to pharaoh himself. Joseph gathered grain from the harvests in the years of plenty and stored them in advance of the famine.
God specifically used this situation in order to save Joseph’s family from dying of starvation at a later time. His brothers came to Egypt twice to purchase grain, and on the second time Joseph revealed himself to his brothers, and they moved Joseph’s father, Israel and all of their relatives to Egypt and gave them the choicest land in Goshen so that Israel would survive. Thus, Joseph’s suffering was for the greater good.
Jesus came from heaven with a very specific mission: to teach and preach to the nation of Israel, telling them to repent, to heal, to raise the dead, to perform miracles, to glorify the Father, and to die on the cross for our sins. First He was beaten up by the Sanhedrin and handed over to Pontius Pilate while the Jews demanded He be crucified. Next, He was whipped by the Roman soldiers. Hair was pulled out of His beard. His appearance was so marred and disfigured He was unrecognizable. Then they put a crown of thorns on His head and dressed him in a robe, beat the crown into His head, spit on Him and mocked Him. After that, Jesus was forced to carry a heavy cross that would probably weigh about as much as a refrigerator in our current time when He was so weakened He could barely stand and walk, and so they had to compel another man to help Him carry it. Then, Jesus was stripped of His clothes, nails were pounded through His hands and feet as He was nailed to the cross, and He was lifted up to die a horribly agonizing death, bearing our sins in His body on the cross.
Jesus’ pain, blood, suffering, torture, and death on the cross paid the price we couldn’t afford to pay. He paid our ransom in full in the greatest act of love the world has ever seen. His sacrifice became our salvation, and our reconciliation and peace with God. He bore the chastisement of our peace, and by His wounds we were healed.
As Michelle, my pastor’s wife once said, “if you’re not suffering you’re not living your faith.”
2 Timothy 2 11-13 (NASB1995) says:
It is a trustworthy statement: For if we died with Him, we will also live with Him; If we endure, we will also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He will also deny us; If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.
James 1:2-4 (NASB1995) says:
Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
1 Peter 1:6-9 (NASB1995) says:
In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.
Romans 8:16-18 (NASB1995) says:
The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if in deed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
Our flesh hates to suffer. We hate to struggle. We hate to be inconvenienced and uncomfortable. We want it to end quickly, but that may not be in the best interest for us. God has a purpose for your struggles. It may be to teach you patience. It may be to test your faith. It may be to chastise and correct you. It may be to bring about spiritual or character growth in you. It may even be to place you in a position to bring a greater good to others. So, thank Him for the trials. Try not to complain. Endure and be patient.
Job 23:2 NASB1995Even today my complaint is rebellion; His hand is heavy despite my groaning.
Romans 8:28 NASB1995
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
Psalm 119:71 NASB1995
It is good for me that I was afflicted, That I may learn your statutes.
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