Have you ever wondered why we sometimes go through difficult times and trials? Isn’t a Christian life supposed to be all plain sailing? Weren’t we promised a better life when we gave our lives to Jesus?
Well, yes, the life of faith will always be our best life, even whilst we are in this fallen world, but there will still be many obstacles and challenges to face, maybe not every single day, but from time to time we will be in the cauldron and need every ounce of faith we can muster to see our way through.
The faith journey is still the best option for our life, though. It’s the best Way because, as long as we hold on in faith, we have a sure foundation and defined ultimate location in Christ, who is our confidence and our victory.
With us through all
The good news, regardless of what we may go through, is that God is not only on our side, He is by our side. He has sent the Holy Spirit to be our Helper, our Standby, our Strengthener, Comforter and Counsellor. He has the epithet ‘Paraclete,’ which is koiné Greek for ‘One Called Alongside (John 14:16-17).’
The thing is that there is always a reason for going through various trials. Often they are tests of our own faith, what we believe, and whether we truly believe it (1 Pet.1:6-9). Are we able to hold on to our faith, because it is faith that will see us through the difficulties we may face?
Primarily, it is our faith in God that will see us triumph over adversity. There are many Biblical examples of ordinary people going through extraordinary trials that result in amazing victories. A primary example would be Joseph, who dreamed that one day his entire family would bow down to him, which cheesed off his brothers.
Dreamer
Joseph, called a dreamer for his visions, was shown favouritism by his father, Jacob, being, at the time, the youngest, so the envious brothers decided to do away with him (Gen.37-45). They brought him to a pit, but one brother, Reuben, couldn’t kill Joseph, so, seeing a slave trader nearby, they sold him into slavery, then told their father that Joseph had been killed by wild animals.
Joseph was taken to Egypt and sold to an Egyptian official, Potiphar. He worked hard, kept his nose clean. He was a handsome young man by now, and Potiphar’s wife attempted to seduce him, but he ran from her. She falsely accused Joseph of attempted rape, and he was thrown in prison. He worked hard there, too, keeping an amazingly good attitude despite all of these seeming set-backs.
He interpreted dreams for two staff members to the Pharaoh, both of whom had been thrown into prison for various offences. They promised to remember him to the ruler if they ever got out. One was, as interpreted by Joseph, sentenced to death. The other, as in Joseph’s prediction, was released to once again save the Pharaoh as his cup-bearer.
However, the servant forgot about Joseph’s dream interpretation until one day the Pharaoh himself had some strange dreams. His grand viziers the seers could not successfully interpret these dreams, but, remembering Joseph, the cup-bearer who’d been in prison with Joseph told the Pharaoh that Joseph was an interpreter of dreams.
Joseph successfully revealed the Pharoah’s dreams and so impressed him that the Pharaoh made him the minister responsible for the harvests. Joseph had told him that his dreams meant that there would be seven years of plenty and seven years of famine. He was put in charge of the harvest, becoming the highest official in the land.
Finding his place
From this position Joseph was effectively the most powerful man in the known world after Pharaoh. His hardships were the journey to greatness, His discomfort was the road to leadership. His family did indeed bow down to him, but without initially recognising who he was until he revealed himself to them.
Joseph’s own words tell the story, as he reveals who he is to his father and brothers.
And Joseph said to his brothers, “Please come near to me.” So they came near. Then he said: “I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. For these two years the famine has been in the land, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting.
Genesis 45:4-8
And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.
Of course, our greatest example, Jesus, went through intense hardship for us all at the cross. He experienced detachment from the Father for the first time. He even felt forsaken, yet His suffering was for the greatest prize of all – the souls of the lost. The difference was that He knew what was coming. He yielded Himself anyway.
Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 12:1-2
That cloud of witnesses includes many who went through great hardships for this great cause of bringing the message of hope to a fallen world. God used ordinary people to perform extraordinary exploits. He still does.
For the joy
Jesus went to the cross for the joy that was set before Him. He endured the shame of the cursed tree knowing that it would bring about the day when we could all come to Him and receive Him as Lord and Saviour.
Just as Joseph had to go through some difficulties on the way to his ultimate vocation in God, so we also may face challenging seasons when nothing seems to be going our way. We may even feel as if God has deserted us, but the reality is that He is shaping our lives for the greater goal of furthering His cause.
There have been many heroes of the faith through time, most of whom forsook all to follow the call of God. That cloud of witnesses have their story told in the great faith record of Hebrews chapter eleven. And there are others since, and will be more to come, until Jesus returns for the saints, you and I.
Our story can be in there as well. All we have to do, like Joseph, is to maintain the right attitude even when we go through tough times, or when we seem to be left behind where we would like to be. We weren’t promised a comfortable time, just an ability to be contented in it.
Joseph remembered his vision. Jesus knew what was coming. Paul was warned of hardships. By the way, receiving prophecy about our future in God is usually a sign that along the way we will face hardships and that vision, dream or prophecy will help sustain us through it.
For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.
Hebrews 12:3
You can do this. Sometimes the Way seems difficult and strewn with obstacles. They are all strengtheners of our faith. They are landmarks in our victory march. Stay in faith. Let your faith have as strong a grip on you as you are called to have on it. Never loose sight of your destination in Christ, nor let go of the hope that is the anchor of our soul.
