Pain in the Wilderness (Gen 37:12-27/50:15-20)

Introduction:

So far, we have looked at different things we experience in the wilderness.

In week 1, we opened up speaking about certain testing that takes place in the wilderness.

From there, we talked about the art of having patience in the wilderness, learning that often God provides wisdom when we wait.

Last week, we honed in on listening when we are in a season of wilderness. We have to learn to discern how and where God speaks to us, to most clearly hear and sense His leading.

And today, as we close out our series, I want us to talk about the pain we often experience in the wilderness.

I will never forget playing football inHigh School during intramurals. I caught the ball on a pass, and as soon as I looked up, I was tackled to the ground. I lost my breath in that moment. The wind was knocked out of me. I was in the middle of a game, doing something fun, yet I experienced pain.

You see, pain is something the Bible speaks about as a present thing in our lives on this earth.

Now, the Bible also makes it clear that pain is not something that will last for eternity.

Read Revelation 21:4

But while we are on earth, even if we are doing the right things, we may still experience pain. And that is where we pick up in the story of Joseph’s life in Genesis 37. If you have a Bible with you, I would invite you to turn there with me.

Main Teaching

In this story, Joseph has just told his family about a series of dreams he had, both of which seemed to showcase them bowing down to him on some occasion in the future. Obviously, this makes Joseph’s brothers jealous. So, when Joseph goes to hang out with his brothers soon after, here’s what the Bible tells us.

Read Genesis 37:12-27

What a sequence of events, right? Joseph gets sold into slavery in Egypt and so his life takes a turn for the worst. There are a lot of different things we could pull out of the story of Joseph related to suffering and pain, but here’s the first one I think comes directly from the passage we just read…

Oftentimes, Our Pain is Caused by Someone Else

In this story, we clearly see Joseph’s brothers scheming with one another to try and find a way to get rid of Joseph. And after deciding not to kill him, they decide to sell him. The point is, Joseph experienced this initial pain without having control over it. His pain came at the expense of others’ anger and jealousy.

Maybe someone here today is experiencing pain, or maybe you have in your past, maybe it was brought upon you because of a decision someone else made. Maybe it’s a parent who stopped loving your other parent at a certain point, and now you have separated parents and don’t really have a clear picture of what healthy family life is supposed to look like. It’s caused you pain.

Or maybe you were fired from a job, certainly didn’t see it coming, and you’re still not sure why you were actually fired. You feel as if there were some inaccurate behind-the-scenes conversations, and it has led you to this point of pain you feel you have no control over.

Regardless of how you find yourself experiencing pain right now or in your past, oftentimes we don’t have much control over when it gets introduced into our lives. And at this point in the story of Joseph, we can see he had a very crucial decision to make: “Am I going to be defined by my pain, or will I choose to allow God to still work through it?”

This is the same question many of us have to spend time asking and thinking about today as it relates to our pain. Whether we had control over it coming to us or not, the point is, it’s here.

How will we choose to view it?

How will we choose to experience it?

How We See Our Suffering Matters

What kind of lens are you looking at your suffering and pain through?

When Joseph was on the way to Egypt, I believe this concept and principle was one he accepted and tried to meditate on.

He didn’t know exactly what was going to be on the other side of this enslavement, but knew He served a God who had the power to make the most of it and still use it for good.

He knew that if he was willing to trust God every step of the way, he would gain a perspective of the almighty in the middle of his pain.

A Godly perspective looks at pain and says, “Though this is where I am asked to start, it won’t be where I finish.”

I believe Paul talks about this concept in a different way in Romans 5.

Read Romans 5:3

Paul was teaching us that even our pain can lead to something great. But it has to begin with how we look at the pain we face in our lives.

When I was young, I recall talking to my grandmother and she told me that when the TV first came out many people thought it was from Satan. Know it is a household item.

Perspective or how we view things is everything.

Someone had a vision for the TV and what it could be. And look where it is now!

I believe that this is exactly what God does with us! It’s clear to see all throughout scripture.

God is in the business of looking at something (or in our case, someone) who is broken and seemingly worthless, and turning them into something amazing!

God takes what’s ordinary and makes it extraordinary all the time.

But what if God didn’t see us that way?

If He simply left us in our broken state, we would be without hope for the rest of our lives in this crazy world.

And that’s where many are right now!

Maybe today, you have come in here believing that your view of yourself is identical to God’s view of you.

Maybe when you look in the mirror, you see someone that is broken and will never amount to anything significant.

But I am here to let you know today that God sees you as so much more!

And it’s because of the way He sees us that allows us to see everything, even our pain through the lens of redemption and restoration.

And this view of his situation and his God is what kept Joseph going in Egypt.

He ran away from temptations, interpreted dreams, and even got thrown in prison for something he didn’t do.

And in all those moments, the moments when he was on a mountain top, as well as in a valley of some kind, there was this common phrase the Bible highlights throughout Joseph’s story: “But the Lord was with Joseph.”

And because God was with him in his wilderness, it wasn’t wasted.

God Doesn’t Waste Our Wilderness

The story of Joseph goes on to tell us that he was put in charge of the distribution of food throughout Egypt, as well as those coming from surrounding lands due to a great famine that had broken out.

And on one particular day, Joseph's brothers came to gather food.

And after recognizing it was him, especially after their father Jacob recently passed away, they became fearful that Joseph would seek revenge because of what they did to him years before.

But here’s what the Bible says near the very end of Genesis…

Read Genesis 50:15-20

What an incredible testimony from Joseph’s story. I can only imagine that in these moments, Joseph must’ve been looking back at his journey to where he was in that moment. And all along, instead of seeing frustration after frustration, all he saw was God’s faithfulness.

“You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good.”

Do you believe this for your own life right now?

Can the creator of the entire universe use your worst pain and suffering for something greater?

The Bible says in Romans 8:28….

Read Romans 8:28

Often, I believe God will allow us to sit in a season of suffering or pain to get us to a place where we are solely, completely reliant upon Him alone for sustenance.

We must learn to give thanks in ALL circumstances.

You may be familiar with the story of Corrie Ten Boom and her sister Betsie.

The sisters found themselves in a German concentration camp in the midst of World War II.

They were assigned to an absolutely filthy barracks that happened to be infested with fleas.

As the sisters settled in, Betsie encouraged them to begin to thank God for everything they had.

Whether it be good or bad, they began thanking God for their situation, until they got to the fleas.

Corrie simply could not bring herself to be thankful for the fleas, but Betsie reminded her of their Bible reading earlier that day from 1 Thessalonians 5:14-18 which ends with, “give thanks in every (all) circumstances.”

Bestie encouraged her sister to be thankful for the fleas, and Corrie reluctantly agreed.

As the weeks pressed on Betsie eventually found out that the German guards refused to come into their barracks because it was infested by fleas.

The sisters had experienced incredible freedom inside their living quarters to share the gospel with others, encourage others, and move about as the Lord directed them.

This was in fact, because of the fleas.

Conclusion

Obviously, I don’t know exactly what kind of pain you have experienced recently, or even right now.

I don’t know what kind of wilderness experience yours has been nor can I know the challenge of adversity you are waking up to every morning.

But here’s what I do know: God is working for good.

Are you willing to believe that today?

Are you willing to view your pain through a lens of redemption and restoration?

What is God trying to teach you in the middle of your suffering?

In Joseph’s case, the initial pain he experienced brought him to a place where God was able to bless thousands of other people.

Ultimately, God got the glory for all that was done through Joseph’s season of pain.

What is God trying to make out of your current season?

Because whether you are on a mountain top right now, in a valley of some kind, or feel like you are wandering around in the wilderness, I believe God is able to use your season to not only bless you and others, but even receive glory for Himself if you are willing to trust His plan and provision.

Even if he sets you in the midst of fleas.