God Has a Bigger and Better Plan for Your Suffering

As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today (Genesis 50:20).

When trials come, it’s easy for us to wonder if God is really in control. We question if he can bring good out of the bad things that happen to us—even when we are striving to be faithful to God while in ministry. Scripture allows us to see suffering from God’s vantage point, but this doesn’t mean all our questions will be answered. Yet it means we may be confident that God will work on behalf of those whom he loves. He is always up to something good as he works out a bigger and better plan than we can imagine.

Hope for Suffering Pastors from Genesis 50

Spoken by one who endured many trials, Genesis 50:20 is a significant source of hope for suffering pastors. Joseph faced his share of trouble. Yet his life was filled with dramatic and obvious displays of divine providence.

A sermon in the book of Acts provides a fitting summary of Joseph’s purposeful suffering (see Acts 7:9–14). Stephen, a leader of the church in Jerusalem, was hauled before the authorities and falsely accused. Instead of turning inward, he seized the opportunity to preach a long view of redemption. He reminded his listeners how God rescued the Hebrew people throughout the Old Testament and preserved the hope of salvation for all humanity through Joseph’s suffering. In both the trials and triumphs of Joseph, we see God’s gospel unfold in a beautiful tapestry of grace. Two beautiful threads are woven through this tapestry that can encourage you in times of trial.

1.  God’s Providence Assures You of His Presence

Joseph’s trials began when he was seventeen years old after he brought a bad report about his brothers to their dad (see Genesis 37:1–4). This, along with his father’s display of favoritism and Joseph’s dreams of future greatness, provoked his brothers to jealous hatred. They sold him into slavery in a foreign land (see Genesis 37:21-35). Falsely accused by his master’s wife, Joseph soon found himself in prison, where he may have been tempted to think that God had forgotten him (see Genesis 39:19–20). But that was not the case. Repeatedly, Scripture assures us that “the Lord was with Joseph” (see Genesis 39:2–3, 21–23). At every moment, God was compassionately attentive to his servant. The same is true for you in your suffering.

2.  God’s Providence Includes Redemptive Purposes

Twenty-two years after Joseph’s brothers betrayed him, the Lord used a famine to bring them to Egypt to buy grain. Although they interacted several times, Joseph did not reveal his identity until an emotional dam broke. The floodgates of Joseph’s heart opened before his abusers and he drew them near, saying, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life” (Genesis 45:5). God had a bigger and better plan for Joseph’s pain, which included the redemption of many. The same may be true for you in your suffering.

When inexplicable suffering enters our lives, God has not stepped away from his throne. No, he is still sovereign, and he is present with us. He walks through our valleys with us and leads us toward the fulfillment of his good and perfect will.

• TALK TO YOURSELF. How have you seen the invisible hand of God’s providence at work for good in your life?
• TALK TO GOD. Write a prayer of thanksgiving that reflects your trust in God for his faithful providence.
• TALK TO OTHERS. Ask a mature Christian to read Genesis 37–50 with you. Talk about the ways the Lord was “with Joseph” throughout his trials and about how this applies to you both.

©2024 Paul Tautges. Used with permission.