The Joseph Journey (9)
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Dealing with emotions and Suffering
Dealing with emotions and Suffering
Sadly we don’t hear many sermons on suffering, but if you read the bible suffering is one of the biggest themes throughout the scriptures. Men especially, not all men, but a decent majority of them do not know how to deal well with emotions and suffering.
Jesus commands that we have to pick up our cross daily and follow Him. The cross is not only a symbol of Salvation, but also one of immense suffering.
Joseph, during his life, has experienced many ups and downs, but until now the scriptures don’t mention Joseph’s emotions in any manner. Joseph has interpreted Pharaoh’s dream. He implemented the plans, and now we are in a place where the seven years of lack are taking a toll on Israel. Jacob sends his son’s down to get grain from Egypt.
Genesis
Then he turned away from them and wept. And he returned to them and spoke to them. And he took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes.
Why are we talking about Joseph’s tears? Because if we don’t allow ourselves to suffer appropriately we run the risk of either burning out physically or burning out emotionally.
Joseph wept a total of Seven times from here to . Joseph wept when he saw Benjamin. He wept when he finally revealed himself to his brothers, he wept when he met his father, he wept when his father died, and he wept when his brothers truly sought forgiveness.
In life and in ministry when we don’t have a true understanding of how to deal with our God given emotions they will eventually become a catalyst to sin. This sin could cause us to leave a ministry God has us at, leave a church God planted us in, or even walk away from the faith totally and completely.
We see the damaging affect mishandled emotions lead to through the life of Moses.
We see this in
And the people of Israel, the whole congregation, came into the wilderness of Zin in the first month, and the people stayed in Kadesh. And Miriam died there and was buried there.
Numbers
Now it’s true we only have the information scriptures give us so we jump from verse one to verse 2
Now there was no water for the congregation. And they assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron.
I see this done in ministry all the time. Satan will follow one catastrophic blow to the gut with another because he knows that if we don’t have time to process information and deal with our junk our junk will eventually get the upper hand and consume our ministry.
Moses looses his sister, then a complaint is lodged against him. Moses does the right thing and consults God. God gives him very CLEAR instructions on how to extract water from a rock.
“Take the staff, and assemble the congregation, you and Aaron your brother, and tell the rock before their eyes to yield its water. So you shall bring water out of the rock for them and give drink to the congregation and their cattle.”
Moses takes the staff as he is commanded, but something happens in Moses’ heart and mind between verse 9 where he obeyed and verse 10 where he acted.
This is where the undealt with emotions boil in Moses. Understand—Your emotions will surface. If you deal with them in a timely manner your emotions will serve to strengthen you, but if let undealt with your emotions will destroy you. We know Moses deal improperly with rage. This isn’t the first time Moses got angry. Moses killed a man in anger. Moses broke tablets in anger. And now Moses disobeys God in anger.
Then Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said to them, “Hear now, you rebels: shall we bring water for you out of this rock?”
And Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice, and water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their livestock.
And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.”
These are the waters of Meribah, where the people of Israel quarreled with the Lord, and through them he showed himself holy.
We unforntunately deal with people and people hurt people all the time. I say things and people come to me and state how much x,y,z hurt them. I get busy sometimes and forget to do something and people get hurt. How many times in our lives have people hurt us or caused us to suffer and how much more have we done the same to other people?
I read a few years ago that money is the main cause for divorce in America. Honestly I don’t believe that. money may be what they argue over, pain that isn’t dealt with festers in people.
Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions.
The word passion here comes from the greek word epithumia meaning an inordinate, self indulgent craving that displaces proper affections for God.
John Bloom wrote: Emotions aren’t imperatives; they’re not your boss. They’re indicatives; they’re reports.
The emotions you feel are warning signs that you have left something undealth with within you.
Moses’ rage could have had nothing to do with the Israelites. It may have been his sister dying. Or He was tired of dealing with the complaining Insraelites. Whatever the cause of the anger it caused him to sin and strike the rock instead of speaking to it.
Some might say it was the same affect either way—water came I don’t see the big deal, However, it was more an obedience heart issue.
Part of stuffing our emotions stuffing our suffering is lying to God and ourselves.
Part of stuffing our emotions stuffing our suffering is lying to God and ourselves.
While we pretend everything is ok Satan is stirring sin in our heart.
Joseph on the other hand dealt with his emotions. He let his feelings out. He dealt with the hand he was given. This lead him to properly forgive his brothers for the immense suffering they bestowed on Joseph. Because of that he didn’t lead in anger or grief.
Many times we misquote
Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
People use it as a reason not to get drunk and I have used it for this reason. However, it’s not the totality of the word. Although it includes drunkness it also means to have
Self-Control
Self-Control
It is only in control when we can properly prepare our minds for action and follow the true will of God.