Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.” 

Matthew 2:13-15

There are times God will protect us from dangers and there are times God will protect us in the midst of danger. His Spirit will reveal things we need to hear and act upon, but when we choose not to obey His prompting, we put ourselves in situations where we will be in trouble. Though God will not leave or forsake us, our disobedience will cost us dearly. As a result, we suffer needless loss and wounds. They are in no way punishments from God but consequences for not acting in faith and trust.

We should learn from Joseph, who heeded the warning of the angel and fled with his family to Egypt. Joseph did not hesitate to obey in the face of inconvenience and hardship. That act of obedience bought safety and shelter and sustenance for his household until the death of Herod.

There are times we will suffer immensely in our lives, not because of disobedience but because of obedience. Persecution is one example of that. And as followers of Jesus, we should expect persecution and be ready for it. Jesus tells us to view persecution as a blessing, even to rejoice and be glad, for a great reward is waiting for us in heaven (Matthew 5:10-12)

We live in a culture that caters to comfort, leisure and pleasure. As such, the idea of suffering for Jesus doesn't exactly provoke the immediate response of rejoicing in most of us! It is good to remind ourselves that our faith is not a convenient kind of faith that exempts us from pain, suffering and sorrow. But our faith points us to a God who transcends our pain, suffering and sorrow. In following and obeying Him, we find hope to endure the difficult times and the grace not to be overwhelmed by them.

If you are in a terrible place right now, God is there with you, and He has not withheld His hands of blessing from you. Trust God to get you through the stressful situation that you are in—for God’s intent is not to break you but to build you.