Fruit of Suffering

Strutting before his brothers in his new coat-of-many-colors, there was Joseph, the favorite son. Excitedly, Joseph told them of a dream he had had and his promise of glory and great power to come. (Genesis 37:5-11). However, as the story unfolds, the cost would be far more than Joseph realized. In order to achieve that great power, he was humbled, betrayed by his resentful brothers, sold and made to become a slave in Egypt. And, as if that were not enough, although proving himself to be a trustworthy slave in Potiphar’s house (the captain of Pharoah’s guard), again he was betrayed and made worse than a slave…a prisoner. Joseph found himself cut off from his family, betrayed by his brothers, surrounded by a foreign culture, enslaved by a pagan ruler, falsely accused of molestation, and confined to a miserable dungeon. But in spite of it all, God had a plan.  For there in prison he met Pharoah’s butler, who eventually brought him to Pharoah, who then made him second in command, a key leader over Egypt.  “Then Pharaoh told all the Egyptians, ‘Go to Joseph and do what he tells you.’”(Gen.41:55) So even though Joseph went through a period of extreme trial and suffering, God remained faithful. The Lord did not abandon Joseph in his suffering, rather, He blessed him and worked through it all for the good of Joseph, the Jewish people, the Egyptians and beyond. From an arrogant, braggadocios young teen to a wise world leader, Joseph’s telling words to his brothers in Genesis 50:20 reveal his transformation: “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.” What an unlikely route to glory! 

But that’s God’s way, even for his own Son. Jesus emptied himself and took the form of a prisoner and then was brutally executed. He surrendered to God’s will, “Not my will but thine.” (Luke 22:42) Jesus honored His Father. “Therefore God has highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee might bow” (Philippians 2:9,10). And this is God’s way. We are promised glory through suffering with Him. We are “heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.” (Romans 8:17). It seems as though the way up is down. The way forward is backward. And the way to success is achieved through God’s intervention in our setbacks.  If Joseph and Jesus teach us anything it is this: “God meant it for good!” (Genesis 50:20). The goodness of God is not freedom from problems, nor is it freedom from suffering. Though we don’t like to talk about it or even think about it. We shy away from suffering in the hope that it will all just disappear and that we’ll just live our lives totally free of any pain. We think unconsciously, or maybe it’s consciously, that if we just ignore the impending hardship or turn our backs on it, then we won’t be able to be hurt. After all no one eagerly votes, “Yes, take me”, to suffer. But, as believers, we do say yes to surrendering our very lives to Christ and trusting Him as our loving Father. Burying our heads in the sand does no good and might even bring us more harm. How foolish we are at times and slow to trust Him!

Paul said in Romans 8:18: “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us”. There’s blessing even amidst our suffering. Our surrender to God can actually turn our suffering into fertile soil. God seeds us with strength and hope as we open our hearts to Him and trust Him during our painful times. Our hearts, like soil, receive His seed and begin to grow. Many times, there is a wait involved that can tempt us into believing that God is not working, that He doesn’t care, or that He has abandoned us. However, when we can’t see God moving, it doesn’t mean that he is not. God is always moving!  Remember that under the soil (our hearts), the planted seeds must break apart in order for them to grow! That breaking apart takes time according to the condition of the soil and God’s ultimate timing. Seeds break apart in God’s perfect timing, not ours. If the seeds break apart too soon, they won’t grow healthy roots to withstand and overcome future challenges of this world. But God is sovereign in His scheduling of our lives and that includes for Joseph as well. If Joseph had gotten out of prison earlier, he would have missed the opportunity for a window of position. Through it all, Joseph grew and bore much fruit, bountiful fruit:

1) He became a man of great influence, Pharoah’s right hand

2) He was given a gift of family in the land of suffering (a family through foreigners)

3) He became a man of vision 

4) He brought glory to God through His suffering

5) He was given authority over all the land of Egypt and wore Pharoah’s signet ring

6) He saved the remnant of God (the Jews)

 Joseph means “The Lord will increase” and he certainly did!  

Joseph named his firstborn son, Manasseh, and said, It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.  The second son he named Ephraim and said, “It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering. (Genesis 41:51-52)

Fruitful in the land of my suffering!  Such a powerful, hope-filled word!

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