Intro: One of the truths we learn very quickly in life is that things will not always go well. There are good days and bad days. God tells us he sends rain on the just and the unjust. Sometimes we question that. Did you ever know someone who seemed to have everything go their way? My neighbor, Gary Kaytor, was like that. It seemed Gary always go come out of any situation smelling like a rose. Gary always caught the biggest fish when we went fishing. Gary would end up finding a wallet full of money. Whatever the situation, Gary came out on top.
Then there are those who are the opposite. There are some people that trouble seems to follow. They can’t hold down a job. Their car is always in the garage. They move from house to house. It’s just one problem after the other. Hopefully, we don’t fall in either extreme, but find ourselves somewhere in the middle. But we realize that we all will face difficult days in our lives. Where is God at those times?
Romans 8:28 tells us that God works all things together for good to them that love God. Well, if that is so, why doesn’t everything work out good for Christians? Let’s learn some principles about dealing with hurt from the life of Joseph.
Read Gen. 37:1-11 PRAY
I. We can’t blame God for dysfunctional families.
You can choose your friends, but you’re born with your family. Joseph came out of a dysfunctional family. We sometimes think that if we just had a better family everything would turn out right for us. We love to blame our situation on our family. Think about Joseph’s family. Jacob was a schemer and a deceiver. Even his name, Jacob, implies he was one who would take the place of another. He bought his brother’s birthright for some beans; he stole his father’s blessing through trickery. Jacob ended up with two wives and two concubines who all tried to outdo the other in having children to win Jacob’s favor.
In the midst of this crazy family comes Joseph. He is loved more than his brothers, and his father doesn’t make any secret of this. Joseph’s brothers hate him for this. God gives Joseph a dream of what he will become, but because his brothers already hate him, these dreams just cause them more hatred.
*What do you do if you don’t have the perfect family? Our tendency is to blame our problems on our family. Not Joseph. Joseph sought to maintain love for his family. Even as he is wronged by his brothers, he maintains love for them. He maintains relationship with them. He doesn’t blame his family for what happens to him.
Compare that with his brothers. Reuben sleeps with his father’s wife. Simeon and Levi get mad and end up killing some people and hamstringing some animals. Joseph is in a family that expresses their anger and frustrations in very visible ways; yet Joseph is able to seek to maintain strong ties to his family.
App: What is your family like? One of the greatest factors that makes you who you are is your family. But we can’t blame wrong behavior on our families. We are responsible for how we respond to our family situations. We don’t want to act out improperly. Neither do we want to break off ties to our families. We want to honor our father and mother - and honor God at the same time. let’s be faithful to God in spite of and emotional “baggage” we carry around from our families.
II. Even in times of trouble, God can be with us
If there’s any one lesson we learn from the life of Joseph, we learn this. We all know the story. Joseph is hated by his brothers, ganged up on, thrown in a well pit, sold to slave traders, taken to Egypt, sold to the commander of the Pharaoh’s personal guard. Did he have a right to be angry? Be careful how you answer that one. Was he treated wrongly, YES. Does that justify wrong action - NO. We must not allow bitterness to capture our souls. Joseph responded well to his situations. He continued to have a right perspective and God blessed him for it. We must not allow ourselves to turn against God; rather we must turn to God even more.
Look at verses 1-6 in chapter 39. READ 39:1-6.
Even in the worst of circumstances God is present with Joseph. Where is God when it hurts? He is right there with us. If you experienced some bad situations, even if they were your own fault, God is there for us to turn to. Joseph never forgot that all his life. In every bad situation he was in, Joseph remembers the presence of the Lord is with him.
App: What hard times are you facing? Know that God is with you in those situations. Do you seek his help? Or do you blame him for them? We often blame God for that which makes us stronger. Look for the hand of God at work in your life. Often he doesn’t give us what we like, but what is good for us.
III. God often uses times of difficulty to develop our character.
Joseph faces many obstacles in his life. After he manages Potiphar’s house for him, Joseph faces daily temptation by Potiphar’s wife. And daily Joseph chooses to obey God rather than fall to temptation. Learning to wait patiently strengthens our confidence in God. Joseph is tempted every day, but he doesn’t allow himself to be in situations of temptation when he can control it. Look at 39:10.
A period of training often allows time for us to develop true character and to reflect that character to others. Potiphar saw Joseph to be a man of character and had placed his whole house under his control. Even when Potiphar’s wife wrongly accuses Joseph, God is still with Joseph. Look at 39:20-23.
A period of waiting often creates opportunities for advancement that may not happen otherwise. As Joseph is in prison, God creates the opportunities for him to later be brought out of prison and stand before Pharaoh. A period of difficulty and pain helps us develop wisdom we might otherwise not have. Jospeh’s years of reliance upon God make him perfectly suited to lead the nation of Egypt through the difficult days of famine. Pharaoh recognizes Joseph is the best man in the whole nation of Egypt to prepare the nation for what lies ahead, and he elevates Joseph to second in command of the whole nation.
IV. Look for the purposes of God in your suffering
While on this earth, it’s not possible to explain all human suffering. Yet, God accomplishes great things through suffering. Though suffering can be difficult to explain and the reason for it may not be clear, a Christian has the potential to see meaning that others may not see.
1. We may have opportunities to communicate the gospel of Jesus Christ
2. Personal suffering may help us understand the sufferings of others
Joseph was able to relate to the suffering in Egypt because he had suffered.
3. Suffering can produce Christian maturity
4. Suffering can bring an individual to a salvation experience
When we are able to see meaning in our suffering, it gives us inner strength to endure in ways that are beyond our normal human capacities.
Joseph sees God’s hand in the circumstances of his life. Read 45:1-11
Concl: What is God doing in your life? We my not like it - we may wish he would do something different - we may want pleasure instead of pain; but we need to accept and embrace the will of God for our lives.
All of us need a sense of freedom, but the most important freedom God has provided is the freedom we can experience in Christ - no matter what our circumstances.
All of us need respect from others, but the most important factor is to be able to respect ourselves because we’re living in the will of God.
All of us need to experience success, but the most important success we can experience is to have God’s approval.
All of us need companionship to overcome emotional hurts, but our most important companion is Jesus Christ.
Let’s learn from the lesson of Joseph to trust the unseen hand of God to guide us, even in times of pain and hurt.
Shall we pray
