Stripped: Trusting God When He Allows Others to Hurt Youಮಾದರಿ

The question that haunted me about Joseph’s remarkable story was, did it really have to take so many years? Couldn’t God accomplish the same purposes for his life and the Israelites yet bypass the drama? Surely God, being you know, God, could accomplish His purposes in the world with the snap of a finger, like Marvel’s Thanos. At first thought, that seems like a logical expectation, isn’t He all powerful?

In my situation, many friends attempted to encourage me with the words “God has a purpose, He is faithful and still has a plan for your life. This too will pass.” Even though my mind knew it was true, my heart complained, “Can’t He fulfill his purposes in a less painful and faster way?!”

However, through all the tearful nights and hard-to-breathe days, there was an unmistakable grace that sustained me. Sometimes, it was as bright as the sun, even though my heart was aching. Other days, it was as dim as candlelight—but it was ever-present. God’s children are never left alone, His grace is ALWAYS there, His love is always constant, even when we don’t feel it. Even when we run from it. He never ceases to pursue us, inviting us back to intimacy with Him and the safety of His shelter.

As hard as my journey has been, it doesn’t even come close to Joseph’s. He was physically attacked, stripped, and sold by his brothers, bought as a slave in a foreign land, falsely accused and convicted of sexual misconduct, sent to jail, and separated from his family for over 20 years. Few people experience any one of those scenarios, much less all of them combined.

Before we continue looking at Joseph’s story, we’ll address three questions that will clear the way for understanding his story, and ours, in a much deeper and healing way:

1- If God had a purpose with Joseph’s story, does that mean He orchestrated the bad things that happened to him?

2- What was God’s purpose for what Joseph went through?

3- How does that affect me?

DID GOD ORCHESTRATE IT?

If God had a purpose through all of the things Joseph experienced, does that mean He orchestrated the evil that was done to Joseph? By the same token, did He orchestrate the bad things that happened to me? Those that happened to you? Absolutely not. God is love and in Him there is no inclination of evil for that would go against His very nature. It is impossible for Him to do wrong. However, God is also just. He gave mankind free will, so He works around, through, and despite what others do to us.

Did God cause it? No.

Did He allow it? Yes.

How we respond to these two questions will have an incalculable influence on the trajectory of our lives. I grappled with these thoughts for a long time. My faith hung in the balance and I wanted nothing more than to reconcile the ability to approach my relationship with God in the confidence that He had not let me down, that He was still deserving of my trust, and that nothing could change His love for me.

It wasn’t a matter of renouncing my faith; I am convinced of the Gospel regardless of my personal struggles. Rather, it was unbelief regarding God’s love and best intentions towards me. I was hurt. I felt let down. I attempted pursuing the Lord and shifting the focus of my thoughts and prayers from my situation to His sacrifice on the cross, mercy, and love in order to enjoy the intimacy I had known with Him for three decades. But there was an ‘elephant in the room’ between me and the Lord. I’m trying to trust you for other things, but what are we going to do about this issue, Jesus? I mean, if you didn’t come through for me in that huge aspect, can I really trust you will work on these minor ones?

Have you ever felt that way? Maybe you keep going through the motions of the Christian life, but there’s a part of you that has given up.

The first love you once felt towards the Lord is gone. You find it hard to pray or have no motivation to study the Word. If you’re anything like me, you might even struggle to sing some songs at church, or listen to “happy” sermons.

It can be hard to listen to messages about suffering and pain too if you know the person speaking hasn’t suffered a day in their life. I’m being totally transparent. You mentally argue with the speaker, “That’s easy for you to say, your life is perfect.” Am I right? Maybe you are mentally arguing with me too. “You just went through a divorce, lady. Get over it. Millions of people get divorced. I was ________ (fill in the blank). That’s real trauma.”

I know that some people go through unspeakable horrors that make my situation seem utterly insignificant. But I’ve also learned that trying to measure or compare pain is pointless and impossible.

Tomorrow we’ll look at the deception of pain and God’s permissibility.