Joseph suffered

I don't want to approach this week of prayer with the question: "Why does God allow suffering?" Instead, we're here to look at it from a different viewpoint. We're going to look at it from the perspective of "Why God allows suffering." I believe that the question represents our disapproval at how God handles things whereas the statement shows our confidence in God's sovereignty.
     The best example of this is Joseph. Here was a teenager (17), the youngest of eleven who was favored by his father, Jacob. His siblings despised him and after he shared two dreams with them where they bowed down to him, they just couldn't take it anymore. They sold him to some passersby who sold him into slavery (that's the short version), he ended up in Egypt and eventually found favor with the Pharoah and through a series of events that you'll have to read about on your own (read Genesis 37-48 for the full event), ended up saving everyone, including his family, from starvation during a 7-year famine. Did he suffer? Yes. Did God use his suffering for His plan? Yes. If he hadn't been sold into slavery, so many people would have died during the famine.
     I know this is an extreme example, but it's one where we can see it from a distance from beginning to end. If we could do that in our own lives, we might better understand God's purpose for our suffering.

And we know that for those who love God

all things work together for good, 

for those who are called according to his purpose. 

Romans 8:28 ESV

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Please join me this week in praying for someone who is suffering, whether it's physically, mentally, or emotionally. Pray that they are comforted by God's love and find strength and hope through Him.
I'll post daily reminders on:
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