God is with you even in difficulties.
God is good, and we know He has a plan for our lives. We know that God can use the good things we experience, but in Romans 8:28 we are told that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
Brother, sister,"all things" truly means all things.
We must not believe that God can only use blessings, victories, a good job, or a good partner. God can also use difficulties, disappointments, hard times, financial problems, family issues, and every difficult situation in our lives.
And when I talk about our "good," I do not simply mean that God wants to make us happy.
God wants to form a better version of us, a person who resembles Jesus more and more.
At first, it might seem strange to believe that something bad can contribute to something good. And yet, this is the reality. If we look at the life of Joseph, we can clearly see how God was with him even in the midst of difficulties.
Joseph was betrayed by his own brothers, who were jealous of him. They even thought about killing him, but in the end, they decided to sell him as a slave. Joseph was taken to Egypt and sold to a man named Potiphar.
Despite his situation, Joseph worked hard and God was with him. Everything he did prospered. Potiphar noticed this and entrusted him with authority over his household.
But Potiphar's wife tried repeatedly to tempt him. Joseph, however, remained faithful to God. He decided not to sin against Him, to respect Potiphar, and not to compromise his life.
Because of this, he was falsely accused by Potiphar's wife and ended up in prison.
And yet, even in prison, God was with Joseph. God blessed the work of his hands, and the prison warden eventually entrusted him with authority.
Finally, after years spent between slavery and prison, God brought Joseph before Pharaoh. Joseph interpreted his dreams and became Pharaoh's right-hand man, receiving authority over all of Egypt and becoming one of the most powerful people in the land.
Look at what God did.
God used slavery. God used prison. God used the betrayal of his family.
All these experiences contributed to shaping Joseph and prepared him for the responsibility God was going to entrust to him.
What seemed like pure suffering became, in God's hands, part of his preparation.
And in the same way, God can use your difficulties for your good.
He can use your financial problems. He can use your family problems. He can use your disappointments and the moments when you do not understand what is happening.
I know it can be hard. Maybe it hurts right now. Maybe you are confused and cannot understand why God allows certain things.
But trust in God.
God is working in your life.
You are a work in progress, and God is forming a better version of you: a person who resembles Jesus more, who is stronger, more faithful, and more prepared to do what God has prepared for them.
Sometimes it will be hard. Sometimes you will feel like you can no longer bear the situation. You might feel like giving up.
But do not give up. Do not lose heart.
God is with you. God is working in your life. God is taking care of you.
Remain Faithful Even When You Do Not See the Answer
From the life of Joseph, we can learn at least two important things.
The first is that Joseph remained faithful to God even in difficulties.
Even when he was a slave and even when he was in prison, he continued to honor God through his conduct. He tried to live according to God's will and did not compromise his faith.
In 1 Samuel 2:30, the Lord says:
"Those who honor Me I will honor." Therefore, do not compromise during this difficult time.
Continue to be faithful to God. Continue to serve Him. Continue to trust in Him.
Even when you see nothing.
Joseph could not see how God was going to resolve his situation. He did not know that one day he would become the ruler of Egypt.
Think about it: he had been betrayed by his brothers, sold as a slave, and then unjustly imprisoned.
From his perspective, there was no reason to hope.
And yet, God was working.
You may not see what God is doing today either, but that does not mean God is not working.
Therefore, continue to honor Him through your life. I remember the story of a family of believers who were going through an extremely difficult period financially.
They had very little money and often did not even have enough food.
The wife remembered the words in Malachi 3:10, where God says to bring the tithes into His house and test Him, to see if He will not open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.
That woman decided to trust God.
In essence, she said to Him: "Lord, I want to put You to the test. Even though I am going through a difficult time, I want to honor You. I will take this money and put it into Your hands. I want to see if You will be faithful to me and my family."
She did not do this because she had everything. She did it when she had almost nothing.
It was a sacrifice. But they decided to honor God even through their finances.
Over the years, their situation changed. After about fifteen years, they managed to pay off their debts and buy two apartments, while around them the world was going through a severe economic crisis.
They saw God's blessing and recognized that God rewarded their faithfulness.
Therefore, be faithful to God and honor Him in your life.
Continue to do everything you can to live according to His will.
And you will see the hand of the Almighty working in your life. The second thing we can learn from the life of Joseph is that he was a hardworking person and labored diligently.
Joseph did not do things just to say he did them. When he received a responsibility, he tried to fulfill it as best as he could.
This principle is also expressed in Colossians 3:23-24, where we are urged to do whatever we do with all our heart, as working for the Lord and not for human masters.
This means we are called to give our very best.
Not only at work.
We must do this in our family, in serving others, and in every responsibility God entrusts to us.
Because ultimately, it is not the people around us who will reward us.
The Lord is the One who will reward us.
Maybe you have a difficult boss. Maybe you think: "Whatever I do, it seems to be wrong. Every time I do something, I am criticized."
But continue to do your best. Continue to work earnestly. Continue to be diligent, even when others do not appreciate what you do.
Because it is not your boss, your spouse, your children, or other people who determine the value of your sacrifice.
The Lord sees your work. The Lord sees your faithfulness. The Lord sees every sacrifice you make in silence. And finally, I want to tell you this.
If you are going through a difficult period, if you are suffering or find yourself in a situation you cannot understand, do not lose heart.
You might even be losing sleep because of stress. You might wonder why God allows all these things.
But remember Joseph.
God was with him when he was free. God was with him when he was a slave. God was with him when he was in prison. And God was with him when, in the end, he reached the place God had prepared for him.
God did not abandon Joseph during his difficulties. God was working.
And God can do the same thing in your life.
He can use your difficulties. He can use your sufferings. He can even use the things you cannot understand today.
He can transform all of these for your good and for your growth.
Therefore, remain faithful to God. Continue to serve Him. Continue to honor Him. Continue to serve others.
Even when you do not see the answer. Even when you do not understand what is happening.
Do not give up. God is with you.