Joseph

How can I talk about suffering and grief without mentioning Joseph

whose story covers 22 chapters in Genesis? (Gen. 37,39-50)

Joseph is:

The favorite beloved son of his father

Hated and betrayed by his brothers into slavery at age 17

Falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife and imprisoned

Interprets the dream of the cupbearer to Pharaoh, but forgotten

Remains in prison two more years.

Poor miserable Joseph. If I had been in Joseph’s shackles...!

But what is the truth?

“The Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man.” Gen. 39:2

The Hebrew for successful means: to prosper, to get on well.

“The Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave

him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.” Gen. 39:21

“...The Lord was with him. And whatever he did the Lord made it

succeed.”  Gen. 39:23

The Lord was with him and so Joseph was a “lucky fellow.” Old English

I find this truly amazing. Somehow Joseph understood this truth even

in the midst of his suffering.

In the last chapter of Joseph’s life we see the death of Jacob and the

terror of his brothers: “PLEASE forgive us,” they plead.

Joseph says to them: “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? As for

you, you meant it for evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring

it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. So

do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.” and so he 

comforted them.   

Papa, Joseph walked it out one dark day at a time--for years! What a 

great story of one man’s trust in you, and how it played out over time.

Time... I keep trying to figure it out in terms of the next day, or in terms 

of a week, or maybe even a year. 

Loved With Everlasting Love

Back in the 1960‘s I was involved with a campus ministry 

called Intervarsity Christian Fellowship or IVCF. 

One of my favorite hymns from that time has been humming

in my head today.  

Loved with everlasting love, 

Led by grace that love to know;

Spirit breathing from above,

Thou hast taught me it is so!

Oh, this full and perfect peace!

Oh, this transport all divine!

In a love which cannot cease,

I am His and He is mine.

Heav’n above is softer blue,

Earth around is sweeter green!

Something lives in every hue

Christless eyes have never seen:

Birds with gladder songs o’erflow,

Flowers with deeper beauties shine,

Since I know, as now I know,

I am His and He is mine.

Things that once were wild alarms

Cannot now disturb my rest:

Closed in everlasting arms,

Pillowed on the loving breast.

Oh, to lie forever here,

doubt and care, and self resign,

While he whispers in my ear--

I am His and He is mine.

His forever only His,

Who the Lord and me shall part?

Ah, with what a rest of bliss,

Christ can fill the loving heart!

Heav’n and earth may fade and flee,

Firstborn light in gloom decline;

But while God and I shall be,

I am His and He is mine.

Wade Robinson/J Mountain

What About Job?

The first chapter sets the stage: God says to Satan, “Have you considered

my servant Job?” Job belongs to God and it sounds like God is offering up His

servant to the enemy. Hmmm. Then all hell breaks loose--against Job. First comes

the attack on his possessions, then his children and finally on Job’s body. He suffers

great loss, tremendous grief, and unremitting physical discomfort--all in the same

period of time. His friends suggest that there has to be a REASON, like sin, 

for his suffering and Job better confess it! The implication in all of their arguments 

is that since God is good and God is just, it HAS to be Job’s fault!

As I read through this book, I see God touching Job at his core. God wanted to 

reveal Job’s heart to Job. I think that we see Job’s heart in the confession: “I know

that my redeemer lives, and at last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin

has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God. (Job 19:25,26) 

What an amazing man!

Then in the fulness of time--after man has had his say, God speaks directly to Job

out of a whirlwind: 

“Who are you? Speak like a man! Where were you when I...?

What do you know about simple things like where the snow is stored, 

how to set the constellations in place, 

the way of the eagle?” Then God moves on: 

“Can your own right hand save you? 

Can you conquer the Leviathan? No?” 

At this point all of Job’s questions vanish and he says,

 “I had heard of You by the hearing of the ear,

but now my eyes see You.” Job worships God out of his brokenness.

God does not answer Job’s “why” questions or deal with his confusion, nor does he

explain the conversation He had with Satan. He does not usually answer my 

“why” questions either.  Answers fail to alleviate the pain if they don’t speak into 

the deep recesses of my heart. I need the big picture: “Jane, where were you when

I hung the stars in space, when I set the ocean currents in motion, when the sun

began to flood the earth with light and beauty flowed forth in various colors?”

Suddenly the suffering of Job becomes the glory and majesty of God.  It really

is always and only about HIM, is it not?

Rachel...Weeping for Her Children

I have penetrated this veil of sorrow, loss and grief, and now,

want to dig deeper. Where do I go? As I ponder this question

stories come to mind. The first one is about women...

“Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the 

wise men, he became furious, and he sent and killed all the male

children in Bethlehem and in all the region who were two years

old or younger according to the time he had ascertained from 

the wise men. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet

Jeremiah:”

“A voice was heard in Rama,

weeping and loud lamentation. 

Rachel weeping for her children;

she refused to be comforted, because

they are no more.”  Matt 2:16-18

Violence, death, helplessness, mourning, loss, wailing. Why?

Because a baby was a threat to the reigning king. All the males

two and under in the whole region, are dead. The “prince of 

peace” has arrived--and his birth has brought a sword.

I don’t know about you, dear reader, but the magnitude of pain

in that one verse, takes my breath away. Why? Why did God not

prevent it? Why was there an ancient prophecy? Why did God

allow it, for what purpose?

I think about the women. Mary leaves ahead of the slaughter sitting

on a donkey with her baby safely tucked into her arms, while Rachel 

sits desolate, her arms empty. And where, pray tell, was God in all of this; 

distant, uncaring, asleep?

NO! Papa God was weeping over each woman; He was weeping over the 

dead babies, the little lambs who were now cuddled in His arms. What else 

caused Him to weep? Papa God was looking 33 years ahead and saw 

 HIS only Son, His innocent Lamb, flesh torn, hanging on a Tree.  God

spilling His blood to redeem evil man, even those who had killed the innocent

babes years before.  Another woman is in the picture. Her name is Mary

and she sits weeping, stunned, helpless, full of sorrow.

Papa God, I so misunderstand life when I only look at the now. I have to

see things from your eternal perspective with Your purposes in mind.  I 

still do not understand why the babies were killed, but I do know you

cared and there was redemption.

Our Firm Foundation

I find that if grief does not bring me to God's Perspective,

I cannot find my footing. I recently came across an old hymn 

that says it very well:

How firm a foundation, yet Saints in the Lord

Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word;

What more can He say than to you He hath said

You who unto Jesus for refuge have fled?

Fear not, he is with thee, O be not dismayed,

For He is Thy God, and will still give thee aid:

He’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand

Upheld by His righteous, omnipotent hand.

When through the deep waters he calls thee to go,

The rivers of grief shall not thee overflow;

For He will be with thee in trouble to bless,

And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.

When through fiery trials thy pathway shall be,

His grace all sufficient shall be thy supply;

The flame shall not hurt thee, its only design

Thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine.

The soul that on Jesus has leaned for repose

He will not, he cannot, desert to its foes;

That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake

He never will leave, He will never forsake.

Charles Wesley

A Grace Disguised

A Grace Disguised by Jerry Sittser

How The Soul Grows Through Loss

Jerry, a son, husband and father, loses his mother, wife and four year

old daughter in a head on automobile crash. Two small sons and a

daughter survive the crash in fairly good shape. Three generations of 

women gone in the blink of an eye. Jerry is transparent as he shares 

his difficult journey through dark days of anger and deep depression 

while at the same time caring for his three grief stricken children and 

working to pay the bills.

“The experience of loss does not have to be the defining moment of our

lives,” writes Jerry Sittser, “Instead, the defining moment can be our

response to the loss. It is not what happens to us that matters so 

much as what happens in us.”

Both of these books revealed unknown, unacknowledged and 

unexpressed grief in my own heart. This is not a bad thing

because a festering wound of any sort cripples and binds our 

hearts. God wants hidden things brought into the light; His light

of healing and restoration.

Grieving Forward

This past week I read two books on Grieving and would like to

share them with you the next two days.

Grieving Forward

Embracing Life Beyond Loss 

by Susan Duke

Susan is a Mom whose first born son, her only son, was suddenly

killed in an automobile accident. In the book she describes her

raging emotions, the shock and disbelief when the doctor came 

and said, “I’m so sorry but we couldn’t save your son.” Susan was

under the impression that his only injury was a broken leg. This son 

of hers was 18 and loved life; he was a real joy to her. Susan takes her 

readers through the first few weeks describing in detail, the physical

and emotional impact of her sudden loss. She then introduces

us to the long journey through grief and anger to the point where her 

needs become a springboard bringing hope to many grieving

Moms. None of it was easy. It was not a short process and the

pain is still very real.

I have heard it said that at first pain will sit on top of you, then it

walks beside you, finally you walk on it--but it never entirely goes

away. Loss brings change, change that is permanent and to be

able to find new meaning a purpose in life is not easy.