Life doesn’t seem fair at times. Bad things do happen to good people. We don’t understand why they are happening. Sometimes, we think God is punishing us for something. We even ask ourselves why but can’t find an answer.
There’s a lesson to learn in every circumstance. Things not to do, things to do better, and occasionally lessons to share with others. Patience is best learned through adverse circumstances.
God, in thinking about us, recorded experiences in the Bible for you and me. Below are several Bible experiences we can relate to in difficult times.
Jeremiah, God’s messenger in difficult times of Israel’s history, was thrown into a pit of mud. His offense was warning Israel’s leaders about their future. But through God’s use of Ebed-Melech, an Ethiopian, Jeremiah was rescued (Jeremiah 38:6-13).
You know Daniel was thrown into the lion’s den for being true to God. And the Lord shut the mouths of the lions and used them as a pillow for Daniel. God intervened and kept him safe.
Joseph was sold as a slave by his brothers. Ultimately, Joseph ended up in prison for being moral. Years later, he was released to provide for his dad and his scoundrel brothers. Joseph even told his brothers that they had meant it for evil, but God meant it for good (Genesis 50:20).
The widow in Zarephath was down to her last meal. She was asked to share it. In her obedience and generosity toward Elijah, God provided for her until the famine ended.
The hardships of life can be depressing, yet God uses adverse events to prepare a people for a future service to the Lord (Luke 1:17).
If you wait, look, and trust, you will find that He is always willing to intervene and prepare you for later events. Your immediate circumstances are difficult to understand, and you may not see God’s hand in them, but His unseen hand is supporting you. There is light at the end of your dark tunnel. The twists and turns of events may make you think God doesn’t care or that He has abandoned you, but He hasn’t.
Somehow, someway, sometime in the future, everything will be clear. God is at work in your life for His glory. And these events are God’s invitation for you to trust Him.
