The Witness of an Authentic Faith in Challenging Times

By: Brian G. Chilton | November 8, 2026

Everyone goes through difficult times. If you live long enough, difficulties are inevitable. Believers are no exception to this rule. Just because you live for God, that does not make you immune to trials and challenges. In fact, at times, God may use trials to build character in our lives.

How we respond to the trials of life says a lot about the trust we actually have in God. Anyone can claim to have faith. But a tested faith is a genuine faith. Faith in God while the world around you collapses is an authentic trust in God. That’s what faith is—trust; a trust that God will do the right things in our lives and the world.

One classic example of genuine faith is found in the patriarch Joseph. In case you are unfamiliar with the story of Joseph, we will look at three areas of Joseph’s life and see how he served as a witness of one who had an authentic faith despite going through the most trying times anyone could encounter.

The Patronized Witness of an Authentic Faith (Gen. 37:1–11)

Joseph was the youngest sons of Jacob, then known as Israel, and the love of Jacob’s life, Rachel. Jacob favored Joseph more than anyone else, which led to the great disdain that Joseph’s brothers had for him. In fact, they grew to hate Joseph and “could not bring themselves to speak peaceably to him” (37:4, Christian Standard Bible).

God began communicating with Joseph through dreams. In fact, God gave Joseph two dreams: one agricultural and the other astronomical. God revealed that Joseph would be greater than his brothers, and that his family would bow to him (37:5–7). Certainly, you could accuse Joseph of naivety in telling his brothers of his dream. Even still, he likely felt led to tell his family something that God had communicated to him. But at this point, even Jacob scoffed at Joseph’s dream.

Joseph believed that God had spoken to him, and he wanted to share what God told him to everyone he knew. However, others did not share his passion. Like Joseph, we may feel like no one wants to hear the message of the gospel. However, like Joseph, we must be faithful. We are not responsible for how people respond to the message. But we are responsible for proclaiming the gospel of Christ in a kind, loving fashion. It may be that many will not listen to us. Yet we never know when someone might. While Jacob was concerned about Joseph’s dreams, he still “kept the matter in mind” (37:11).

The Persecuted Witness of an Authentic Faith (Gen. 37:12–36).

Joseph’s brothers escalated their disdain for Joseph to a full-blown persecution. In a striking display of betrayal, some of the brothers wanted to kill him. Instead, Reuben, the oldest brother of the group, instructed them to throw Joseph down a pit (37:22). Reuben was a kind man. His intention was to come back and rescue Joseph after his brothers had left (37:22). After throwing Joseph in the pit, the brothers later sat down to enjoy a meal. Judah, seeing some nearby Ishmaelites in the region, decided to profit from their betrayal. He instructed his brothers to sell Joseph into slavery to the Ishmaelites (or Midianite) traders (37:26–28).

It is difficult to know what Joseph must have been feeling at this time. But he still maintained faith in God and in the dreams that God had given him. God was sovereignly working even through the trials of Joseph’s life, because the traders took Joseph to Potiphar’s house in Egypt, a place where he would eventually rise to power (37:36).

We may not understand why certain things happen. Rest assured, we can know that God did not cause bad things to happen. However, God, being pure goodness, power, and love, can redeem the bad things of life to bring something even better. The question is whether we trust God? Joseph did. But let’s see how Joseph’s story progresses.

The Prosecuted Witness of an Authentic Faith (Gen. 39:1–40:23).

While in Egypt, Potiphar placed Joseph over his household and all that he owned (39:4). The Scripture mentions several times that the Lord was with Joseph even in a foreign land. Joseph was a well-built and handsome man (39:6). Because of his appearance, he caught the eye of Potiphar’s wife. Potiphar’s wife tried to persuade Joseph to sleep with her while Potiphar was away. However, Joseph maintained his devotion to the Lord and said, “How could I do this immense evil, and how could I sin against God?” (39:9). Eventually, Potiphar’s wife grabbed Joseph and tried to force him to have relations with her. Joseph escaped, but he left behind his garment. The wife falsely accused Joseph of having relations with her. Potiphar naturally believed his wife and had Joseph thrown in prison.

During Joseph’s time in prison, he accurately interpreted dreams for two of his fellow prisoners, a cupbearer and a baker. These prisoners were the royal attendants of Pharaoh who had drawn his ire. The baker was guilty of a more heinous crime and would be executed, whereas the cupbearer found the favor of Pharaoh once again. The cupbearer promised Jospeh that he would remember him, but he forgot him.

Even while in prison for a crime he had not committed and forgotten, the Lord was with him and “made everything that he did successful” (39:23). God does not promise us an easy road in this life. He does not promise us a life with no difficulties. Rather, God just promises us His presence and sovereign direction. In the end, God is working everything for our good. Joseph was a witness of God’s compassion, even while in prison.

Conclusion

God is always at work in both the good times and the bad. Eventually, Joseph was remembered and was favored by the Pharaoh after successfully interpreting his dreams. Joseph was given a place of prominence. He was elevated to the level of the second most powerful man in the world after Pharaoh alone. But God was the unseen visitor who orchestrated everything together. There was a point behind Joseph’s life. Joseph was given a place of prominence so that he could later save his family from famine.

When Joseph’s brothers saw him again in his now powerful role, they feared for their lives. Joseph could have condemned them and would have been justified in doing so. However, Joseph said these words which echo through several millennia, “You planned evil against me,; God planned it for good to bring about the present result—the survival of many people” (50:20).

One of the greatest principles in Joseph’s life was captured by the commentator in the ESV Study Bible. “This principle that God ultimately overrules human sin for his glory and the ultimate good of mankind is important in Scripture.”^[1] The great Thomas Oden put it best by saying, “God’s care embraces all of life’s circumstances. Nothing is governed finally by fate or absolutely by chance. Human free will has room to play in history, but it cannot overrule God’s purposes.”^[2] Therefore, faith means we trust in God’s character and sovereignty.

Do we really trust God? If so, then why are we so afraid? Like Joseph, our steadfast faith in times of distress says more about our faith than it does when everything is stable and going well. And in so doing, our faith can then become an apologetic in and of itself.

About the Author

Brian G. Chilton, M.Div., Ph.D.

Dr. Brian G. Chilton (PhD, Liberty University) is the founder of Bellator Christi Ministries and the co-host of the Bellator Christi Podcast. He serves as a hospice chaplain and an Adjunct Professor of Apologetics for Carolina College of Biblical Studies, a Dissertation Mentor/Adjunct Professor for Liberty University in the PhD in Applied Apologetics program, and an Adjunct Professor/Dissertation Reader at Carolina University in the DMin program. Dr. Chilton's primary area of research is on early Christianity, oral traditions, NT creeds, the blend of divine sovereignty and human freedom, and near-death experiences (NDEs).