And they took him, and cast him into a pit: and the pit was empty, there was no water in it – Genesis 37:24.
Suffering is something we avoid talking about; it’s something we don’t think about or want to go through. Suffering will come in different forms other than sickness.
Sometimes we suffer because of the actions we’ve committed, and sometimes our suffering is to benefit others. Joseph was seventeen years old when God began to deal with him in dreams. God was showing him what his future would be, but he was not shown what he had to go through to get there.
In his dream, his parents and brothers were bowing down to him. His dreams caused him to be hated by his brothers, so when they got the chance, they threw him in a pit. After thinking about what they done, they decided to sell him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. The Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh.
After working in Potiphar’s house, Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce him. After so many times she tried to seduce him, it came a time when he had to run. When he ran, he left his garment in Potiphar’s wife’s hands. Potiphar’s wife lied about Joseph by saying he tried to seduce her. On the false accusation of Potiphar’s wife, Joseph was thrown into prison.
There he ministered to two officials who had offended the pharaoh. One was a baker, the other a butler. They both had dreams Joseph interpreted. The butler was restored to his position of serving the pharaoh, and the baker was hanged according to the dream and the interpretation of the dream.
If Joseph had not been placed in prison the butler nor the butler would have had their dreams interpreted. The butler received relief; he wouldn’t be in prison forever, and was restored to his position, and the baker was given a chance to ask God for forgiveness before his death. Joseph was a blessing to both of them.
Later pharaoh had a dream that none of his magicians or wise men could interpret. The butler remembered Joseph and told Pharaoh how he had interpreted his dream, and the baker. Pharaoh released him from prison. Joseph interprets Pharaoh’s dream. According to the interpretation of the dream, there would be seven years of plenty and a famine for seven years.
Because of Joseph’s wisdom, he knew how to orchestrate in the plentiful years to be prepared for the seven years of famine. Because Joseph was placed in prison, he saved thousands of lives from dying from hunger, as well as his own family. Joseph was made governor of Egypt. Joseph went to Egypt when he was seventeen years old, and he stood before Pharaoh at the age of thirty.
In Joseph’s suffering, he was being prepared for his ministry. When God calls you into ministry, it does not mean it will be immediately. God will allow things to happen to prepare you for ministry. Your suffering will not be in vain. God will use your pain to get out of you what’s needed and place in you to get you to your future.
Suffering does not just pertain to ministry. Suffering causes one to depend on God and have faith in Him for one’s future. When you realize that it is God enabling you and not you doing it yourself, you will honor God and rely on Him to direct you in all your ways, naturally and spiritually.
Be willing to go through whatever you may have to go through to be a vessel for the Lord, or whatever you will have to go through to get to your future. What you go through is not to harm you, but to make you strong in your faith and in your ministry so that you will not compromise when things aren’t going the way you thought they should go. Money will not sway, nor will fame from the things of God. You will be rooted and grounded in God and His Word to suffer and come out with the victory for you and your family, just as Joseph did.
Joy is at the end of suffering!