Many Are The Afflictions Of The Righteous

Psalm thirty-four declares that many are the afflictions of the righteous. The Holy Spirit spoke plainly here. A trouble-free existence finds no promise in this verse. Afflictions come in numbers, arrive as waves, and enter through directions unknown to the righteous.

The beauty of this same verse lies in its second half. The One who announces the multitude of afflictions also declares the certainty of deliverance. The LORD delivereth him out of them all. Every single one.

Joseph walked this path long before the psalm was written. Scripture presents him as a young man carrying dreams from God. He shared those dreams with his family. His brothers responded with hatred. They stripped him of his coat of many colours. They threw him into a pit. They sat down to eat while he cried from that dark hole. They sold him to slave traders for twenty pieces of silver.

That pit held more than Joseph’s body. Betrayal from family. Loss of freedom. Uncertainty about the future. A seventeen-year-old boy, innocent of wrongdoing, sat in darkness while his brothers laughed above him. The affliction multiplied in that single moment.

The slave traders carried him to Egypt. Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard, purchased him. Joseph served faithfully in that house. He worked hard. God received honour through his conduct. Everything he touched prospered. Then Potiphar’s wife noticed him. Day after day she pursued him. Joseph refused to sin against God. She caught him by his garment. He left it in her hand and fled. She screamed and lied, using his garment as false evidence. Prison received him.

That prison carried its own affliction. Innocence meant nothing there. Doing the right thing earned no reward. The chief butler whom Joseph helped by interpreting his dream forgot him for two full years. Scripture records that he remembered him not, but forgat him. Two years of chains when no crime had been committed. Questions about heaven’s silence filled his mind. Affliction upon affliction.

Yet Scripture makes a striking observation about Joseph in that dungeon. The LORD was with Joseph. Divine presence remained with him despite the prison walls. The covenant stood firm though chains bound him. The memory of God did not fade though men forgot him.

When the appointed time arrived, Pharaoh dreamed. The chief butler finally remembered Joseph. They brought him from the prison, shaved and changed his raiment. He stood before Egypt’s most powerful man. God gave him the interpretation. Pharaoh recognized the Spirit of God in him. That same day, Joseph went from prisoner to governor over all the land of Egypt. Fine linen replaced prison garments. The second chariot of Egypt carried him through the streets. Men bowed before him.

The pit could not hold him. Slavery could not define him. False accusation could not destroy him. Prison could not contain him. The LORD delivered him out of them all.

Scripture records that the LORD was with Joseph, and that which he did, the LORD made it to prosper. Even in the house of Potiphar, even in the prison, the hand of God rested upon him.

When the brothers threw Joseph into the pit, destruction of his destiny topped their agenda. God used that same pit to begin his journey toward the palace. When Potiphar’s wife falsely accused him, ruin of his life consumed her thoughts. God used that accusation to position him exactly where he needed to be. When the chief butler forgot him, victory seemed certain to the enemy. God was simply waiting for the perfect moment.

Hidden in Joseph’s story lies a principle for every righteous person. The affliction itself becomes the avenue for elevation. What the adversary means for evil, the LORD turns for good. The pit becomes pathway, the prison preparation, the workshop.

The Adversary thought he could destroy Joseph in the pit. Instead, that pit taught Joseph to depend on God alone. At the bottom of a pit with no human help available, a person learns to cry out to heaven. The adversary thought he could break Joseph through temptation in Potiphar’s house. Instead, Joseph learned to fear God more than the consequences of doing right. The adversary thought he could bury Joseph in prison. Instead, Joseph learned to serve God even when no promotion was in sight, in the height of affliction.

By the time Joseph stood before Pharaoh, he was ready. The pits had prepared him. Slavery had forged him. The prison had matured him. He did not need the palace to validate him. He had already learned that the LORD was with him, even in the dungeon. Those afflictions had done their work, forging a character strong enough to govern a nation.

The same God who accompanied Joseph through every affliction walks with you. He knows exactly how much pressure you can bear, precisely when to step in, and how to deliver in ways that bring glory to His name and testimony to your life.

When the adversary afflicts with intention to break, the LORD uses that same affliction to bend. Bending differs from breaking. Bending brings flexibility, strengthens, and prepares for what lies ahead. A tree that has never faced wind grows shallow roots. A tree that has weathered many storms stands firm because its roots have gone deep searching for water. Affliction drove Joseph’s roots deep into the soil of God’s fruitfulness.

When the adversary afflicts with intention to silence, the LORD uses that same affliction to give a new song. The deepest praises emerge from the deepest pits. The loudest testimonies arise from the fiercest battles. Joseph’s testimony was on how God delivered him out of every trouble.

When the adversary afflicts with intention to isolate, the LORD uses that same affliction to draw closer. Joseph discovered that even in prison, the LORD was with him. That discovery outweighed the freedom he temporarily lost.

The Psalmist made a striking confession in Psalm one hundred and nineteen: It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes. Affliction teaches what comfort cannot reach, reveals what prosperity hides from view, and drives the soul to the Word. Joseph learned the statutes of God in Potiphar’s house and in the darkness of the prison. Those lessons stayed with him for life.

Scripture records that the LORD visited Joseph in prison and that the keeper of the prison committed all things into his hand because the LORD was with him. The same hand that guided Joseph guides you.

Perhaps the body carries affliction through sickness that has lingered beyond all medical explanation. Scripture records that the LORD is the one who healeth all diseases. The same hand that touched the leper and made him whole reaches toward you.

Perhaps the finances carry affliction as bills arrive faster than provision. Scripture declares that the LORD is Jehovah Jireh, the one who sees and provides. He was with Joseph in prison and did not forget him. He sees your needs.

Perhaps the family carries affliction in marriage, children wandering far from faith. Scripture records that the LORD restored Joseph to his father and his brothers. He restores.

Perhaps the mind carries affliction through thoughts that refuse to quiet. Scripture declares that God has given the spirit of power, love, and a sound mind.

The afflictions may be many, but the deliverance is mighty. The LORD does not deliver from some afflictions while leaving others. He delivers out of them all.

Joseph’s brothers came to Egypt years later, bowing before him, fulfilling the very dreams they had tried to destroy. Joseph looked at them and spoke words that reveal a heart fully taught in the ways of God: But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.

The brothers meant evil. The adversary meant evil. The afflictions meant evil. God meant it for good. The pit worked for Joseph’s good. The slavery worked for his good. The false accusation worked for his good. The prison worked for his good. Every affliction became a tool in the hand of a sovereign God, preparing Joseph for the destiny ahead.

This is the testimony of the righteous. Afflictions come, but the LORD delivers out of them all. The path may be difficult, but the destination is certain. The night may be long, but joy cometh in the morning.

The same God who delivered Joseph is still delivering. The same God who turned his captivity still turns afflictions for good today. Affliction carries an expiration date. The Battle has a termination point. The LORD is about to show up. When He shows up, He shows off. Mourning turns to dancing. Setbacks turn to prosperity. Barrenness turns to fruitfulness. Captivity turns to freedom.

LET’S PRAY

Every pit dug for evil, become the pathway to the palace, in the name of Jesus.

Every chain holding the righteous in bondage, break by the fire of the Holy Ghost and in the name of Jesus.

O LORD, visit this waiting period with delivering power.

Let every evil meant against the righteous be turned for good, O God.

Lord, let more testimonies arise out of affliction.

Every yoke of the Adversary upon the righteous, be destroyed by fire, in the name of Jesus.

Thank You O God of Joseph, for Your visitation and for Your delivering power today.

In Jesus name, Amen!

Let’s Make These Declarations By Faith

This day, the LORD arises over my life. Every affliction that has troubled me shall end. The hand of the Lord stretches out to deliver me. His word goes forth to heal me.

His angels are dispatched to war on my behalf. I shall not be overwhelmed. I shall not be confounded. I shall not be destroyed. I shall come forth as gold tried in the fire.

My latter end shall be more blessed than my beginning. The testimony of the LORD shall be heard in my mouth. Songs of deliverance shall fill my house. The Adversary that gathered against me shall scatter.

The traps they set for me shall catch them. The evil they planned for me shall return upon their own heads. I am delivered. I am free. I am a victor.

In Jesus’ name, Amen!