Preparation Through Affliction

Each year, I look forward to watching the World Series. In my opinion, playoff baseball makes for some of the most exciting sporting competition of the year. I sometimes feel stressed out just watching the games, so I can’t imagine the pressure the closing pitchers must feel when they are called to the mound.

With the game on the line, the closing pitcher is called in with one or two innings left to play. Margins are often tight in baseball, meaning that just one pitch could change the outcome entirely: winning—or losing—the game or series for your team. Talk about a high-stress career choice!

I think the key to managing stress for closing pitchers is in how they prepare. All season long, they prepare mentally and physically to be called in with the game on the line. Prior to taking the mound, they go through their warmups in the bullpen. Even before each pitch, closing pitchers often have a routine that helps to clear their minds and prepare them to deliver a strike. Things that might seem trivial from the outside looking in are all a part of their meticulous preparation.

One of my favorite heroes of the Bible is Joseph. By the time we get to Genesis chapter 41, Joseph has already been through a lot. He was sold into slavery by his brothers, falsely accused by his boss’s wife, and then imprisoned for a crime that he didn’t commit. In Genesis 41:14-15, we see Joseph standing in front of Pharaoh, called to interpret his uninterpretable dream. I would be feeling the pressure if I were Joseph! But Joseph had come prepared.

Throughout his story and all of the hardships he faced, the Bible is clear that Joseph continued to depend on and trust in God (Genesis 39:2, 8-9, 21-23). So, when he stood before Pharaoh, he was not worried, because he knew that God was still in control.

“It is beyond my power to do this,” Joseph replied. “But God can tell you what it means and set you at ease.” (Genesis 41:16)

After Joseph not only interprets Pharaoh’s dream but also gives godly counsel as to how to handle the upcoming famine, Pharaoh decides to make Joseph his right-hand man, putting him in charge of all of Egypt (Genesis 41:37-41)! This is undoubtedly another high-stress position that Joseph finds himself in, but once again we see that God has been preparing him for this through his positions of authority in both Potiphar’s house and in prison!

As Christians, we know that in this world we will face troubles (John 16:33). However, we can also be confident that even through afflictions, God is working in our situations (Romans 8:28) and even preparing us for the purpose and calling He has for our lives (Ephesians 2:10).

When we walk through trials, let us look to Joseph’s life as both an example and a promise. Like Joseph, let us cling to our faith in God, trusting and believing that even through hardship, He is preparing us to be used to glorify and honor Him. Let us not arrive at pivotal moments in our lives ill-equipped but with the joy and confidence of a child of God who has been called and prepared.

So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. … Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls (1 Peter 1:6, 8-9).

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Scripture is quoted from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.