A dear friend of mine sends me daily devotionals from In Touch Ministries. The last two days, these devotionals have touched me deeply as to how God prepares us for His best work. I hope you will find lessons here, too:
The Dark Moments in Our Life Acts 14:21-22
If you want a meaningful life, you will at times travel the road of adversity. However, every hardship in your path has a specific purpose. Our Father allows pain and trials into His good plan for our life (Rom. 8:28).
When we are facing dark times, the first word that comes to mind is usually Why? God welcomes our questions but challenges us to obey Him, even when we don’t get answers (Prov. 3:5-6). In fact, we may have to wait months or years before knowing the purpose behind a trial. Sometimes the answers don’t come at all in this lifetime.
Joseph spent 13 harsh, dark years in Egypt . He faced betrayal, separation from loved ones, and culture shock followed by slavery, false accusations, and prison time. His only evidence of a sovereign, loving God was that he consistently prospered, even during times of trouble.
Everything Joseph endured prepared him for a job as Egypt ’s prime minister. While still a boy, he learned the language, culture, and mindset of a foreign nation. Moreover, the man who emerged from hardship was the Lord’s disciplined, faithful servant. In the end, Joseph was positioned to save more than a country; he rescued God’s chosen people—the family tree of Jesus Christ, the Messiah.
Living in the center of the Lord’s love doesn’t guarantee an easy, pain-free life. In fact, the opposite is true. God loves believers so much that He conforms each one to His Son’s likeness through any means necessary. In His expert hand, we become servants whose victories and trials glorify Him.
A Time to Suffer James 1:1-4
Yesterday’s devotion noted that Joseph suffered 13 years before he was pulled from adversity.
God could have fixed that mess more quickly or, better yet, prevented Joseph from enduring it at all. But can you imagine a 17-year-old boy skipping into Egypt and sitting down at Pharaoh’s right hand? Certainly the Lord’s power could make such an unlikely event happen. But would a slightly arrogant, ignorant Hebrew teenager make a good leader? Not until God made him into one.
Our suffering lasts only as long as necessary for God to accomplish His purpose. He is interested in equipping servants and molding followers rather than in providing carefree lives. Yet the Father deeply loves His children—that’s why He shares in their hurts and limits the hardship so it doesn’t extend one moment beyond its usefulness.
Adversity is God’s sharpest and strongest tool for re-forming believers to Christ’s image, but He will not force change. The Lord molds His children in proportion to their willingness to be shaped for divinely appointed work. We can refuse to submit to His craftsmanship, but rebellion only prolongs the pain. The wise approach is to say, “God, I do not understand why You have allowed this hardship, but I am willing to follow You through it.”
The faithful child of God emerges from trials prepared and equipped to serve God. This is the believer who values obedience and prioritizes prayer and Bible study long before adversity comes. When the going gets tough, he knows that the Holy Spirit’s power is sufficient to carry him through.
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