PAIN WITH A PURPOSE
But Joseph replied, “Don’t be afraid of me. Am I God, that I can punish you? You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people. Genesis 50:19-20 (NLT)
Years ago, I dislocated my elbow. I remember going to physical therapy for a year to regain mobility. They had to break and stretch the scar tissue in my elbow. In short, the pain of physical therapy was way worse than the initial injury. However, I kept showing up weekly. Why? Because I like pain. No. Truthfully, I almost pass out every time I give blood but don’t judge. I showed up because there’s a purpose to the pain—It was leading me somewhere. It was giving me something I couldn’t have without it. I was looking at the present pain but the future strength.
This is the key to pain. This pain can transform you instead of making you bitter and angry about the suffering you’ve faced. Joseph had been wronged by his family. His brothers had beaten him up and then sold him into slavery. They made up a story about Joseph being killed by wild animals and then shared it with their father. Joseph spent years doing the right thing, and it seemed like no matter what he did, there was always pain or suffering facing him.
Joseph was taken to Egypt and sold to the captain of the guard, Potiphar, as a household slave. Joseph was later falsely accused of attempting to rape Potiphar’s wife then imprisoned. If you had never read the story, you’d expect Joseph to be angry and bitter, but he wasn’t. Why? Because he knew there was a purpose to the pain. That it was leading him somewhere, the present pain was leading to a future strength even though he couldn’t see it then. As his story continues, God gives him favor, and he’s later elevated to second-in-command of Egypt. Then, he met his brothers and could have had them killed for what they did. However, he reminds them that what they intended for evil, God used for good. He saw the purpose in the pain. Listen to this quote from Tim Keller,
Jesus lost all his glory so that we could be clothed in it. He was shut out so we could get access. He was bound, nailed, so that we could be free. He was cast out so we could approach. And Jesus took away the only kind of suffering that can really destroy you: that is being cast away from God. He took that so that now all suffering that comes into your life will only make you great. A lump of coal under pressure becomes a diamond. And the suffering of a person in Christ only turns you into somebody gorgeous.
APPLICATION:
Every setback you face is a setup to greater faith in God.
PRAYER:
Ask God to help you focus on the future strength, not the present pain. Pray for others who might be walking through a difficult time. Ask God to help them see a greater purpose in pain.