Genesis 45:7 (Joseph said to his brother) God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth (from a deep famine), and to keep alive for you many survivors. 8 So it was not you who sent me here, but God; he has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt.

Joseph has had an awful time of it, being left by his older brothers in a pit and telling their father Joseph was killed by wild animals. Joseph was then sold as a slave, ending up in Egypt. Then he was put in prison for years. However, with God’s favor he rose to be ruler of Egypt, second only to Pharaoh. In our passage above Joseph articulates why it was necessary for him to endure so much suffering.

I don’t think many of us want to believe God would intend for us to endure suffering, but as Joseph illustrates, it’s possible. Of course, the hard part of difficult seasons is we generally can’t tell in the moment if hardships are part of God’s plan for us. It’s only after the fact we might gain some insight into WHY suffering was necessary.

Lord there are many reading this blog post who are struggling right now. In some cases the struggle goes on and on with no end in sight. Give us grace to endure hardship, aware that difficulties are sometimes a part of your plan for our lives. We pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.