“And now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life.”
(Genesis 45:5)
Affliction for God’s children doesn’t occur randomly or by accident; it is the result of God’s providence. Whether for correction or refinement… or for reasons known only to the secret counsel of His will… God uses affliction to bring glory to Himself and good to His people.
Joseph’s life stands as a vibrant witness to this truth—betrayed, sold, enslaved, falsely accused, and imprisoned. Yet, through all these experiences of affliction God was preparing him to preserve a nation. When Joseph stood before his brothers after years of suffering, he declared, “God sent me before you to preserve life.” Joseph endured years of injustice because he saw the sovereign hand of God in it, as Genesis 50:20 echoes: “Ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good.”
William Perkins put it plainly: “The afflictions of the faithful do not come by chance, but by the counsel and providence of God.”[1] No true follower of Christ is exempt, for Jesus Himself said, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Matthew 16:24).
Still, Romans 8:28 assures us that “all things work together for good to them that love God.” And “all things” includes pain, pandemics, sleepless nights, bitter disappointments, and every trial that wears down the flesh. God sends them all, and they all serve His purposes.
Moreover, Acts 14:22 tells us that “We must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.” Christ said, “In the world ye shall have tribulation” (John 16:33). But Hebrews 12:7 calls affliction the proof of sonship: “If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons.”
Indeed, none of God’s providences are wasted. Hosea 5:15 tells us why: “In their affliction they will seek me early.” Psalm 78:34 affirms it: “When he slew them, then they sought him.” Affliction softens our hearts toward repentance and holiness.
Moreover, God promises His presence and His grace through it all. Not escape, but endurance. “God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able” (1 Corinthians 10:13). And again: “Call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee” (Psalm 50:15). So in the midst of affliction our relationship to the Father is also deepened and made sweeter.
Christ bore the heaviest cross, so how can I grumble under mine? His was for sin not His own. Mine is for sanctification. And since He walks through the fire with us, let us “rejoice, inasmuch as we are partakers of Christ’s sufferings” (1 Peter 4:13).
Contemplations:
- Affliction is assigned. I must not look at hardship as random or cruel. God assigns the cross I carry according to His purposes for me and His kingdom. Even if men sin against me, God is working behind the scenes to fulfill His will. That humbles me. I want to complain because I want comfort, but God wants holiness. If I say I trust Him, then I must trust Him with the hard things too.
- I have no right to ease. Jesus willingly bore His cross for me. Mine is lighter, but I still groan under it. I often look for ways to escape difficulty, as if the Christian life should be smooth. But Christ said the path is narrow and hard. I must stop thinking ease is proof of blessing. If anything, affliction proves I am being refined.
- God’s glory must lead. Too often, I ask “why me?” when I should be asking, “how does this glorify You?” My suffering may not make sense to me now, but that doesn’t make it without purpose. God is after something higher than comfort. I want to be the kind of Christian who praises Him not only in deliverance but in the dark, trusting that He gets glory either way.
- I must seek Him early. In affliction, I find myself seeking distractions, comforts, and explanations. But I should seek God first and most for suffering awakens the heart to seek Him. If He wounds, it is to heal. If He chastens, it is in love. He doesn’t break His children to destroy them but to renew them.
Prayer (Supplication):
Lord, You are sovereign over every breath I take, every affliction I endure, every storm that shakes my life. Nothing escapes Your hand. Nothing happens without Your purpose. When hardship comes, it comes signed with Your name. I bow to that wisdom, even when I don’t understand it. I ask now not to escape affliction, but for Your help to endure it well.
Strengthen me where I am weak. I confess, I often resist the crosses You send. I want ease more than holiness. But You call me to bear the weight, not in my strength but Yours. Fill me with Your strength. Let me not despise discipline or resent the rod. Let me say, with Joseph, “God sent me.” Let me look at suffering and see Your eternal counsel at work.
Preserve me from bitterness, Lord. When sorrow lingers, guard me from doubting Your love. Remind me that if You spared not Your own Son but gave Him up for me, then every affliction comes from a Father’s heart. Let that quiet my complaints and teach me to suffer with faith.
If these trials are for my correction, grant me repentance. If for refinement, burn away what displeases You. If they are for reasons hidden, help me trust You anyway. When others suffer around me, make me a faithful comforter… not one who dismisses pain but who bears alongside with a heart full of mercy.
I ask also for deliverance. Not because I doubt Your purpose in pain, but because I know You are compassionate. If it please You, lift my burden, heal my body, and restore my loss. But if not, then make Your grace sufficient and my weakness a showcase for Your power.
Keep me near You, Lord. Let affliction not drive me from Your presence but deeper into it. Make me cry to You early. Give me a spirit that clings, a faith that won’t let go, and a mouth that still praises. When the trial is long, sustain me. And when it ends, make me grateful. Above all, get glory from me in it.
In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Further Scripture References for Genesis 45:5:
Gen. 50:20; Ps. 105:17; 2 Sam. 17:14; Ps. 105:16; Acts 7:9; Phil. 1:12.
[1] William Perkins, ed. Joel R. Beeke, Greg A. Salazar, and Derek W. H. Thomas, The Works of William Perkins (Grand Rapids, MI: Reformation Heritage Books, 2018), 203.
