There was some mis-communication about Christmas. I was left with the work of the meals and their clean up, and I feel certain that’s not what was intended. Regardless, it’s what happened.

The misery of feeling abandoned and unappreciated threatened to suck the joy right out of the day, but I was determined not to let it. I prayed a lot as I cooked and cleaned up, and I found comfort in trusting this to be God’s plan.

I’ve spent some hours soul searching and talking to God since. After a week, the pain of it was done, and the sun came out. I was free.

While I could’ve made a scene that day and scurried around asking what the heck was everybody thinking, I realized what was needed in the moment was for me to be calm and kind and to absorb it.  God was in control, not me, and not those around me. 

When things go badly, there’s really only one place to go.

Genesis 39-40,

What have I done? Where is God? Why has he forgotten me? These are questions I’ve asked when life goes wrong, when the outcome I expect doesn’t come, when my circumstances get harder, not better. I assume the problem is me, and if I can just fix me, then my troubles will go leave.

But life isn’t always about me. And this isn’t how God works either. He has something more in mind for me than what’s easy. He’s got in mind a life lived with him. And he knows that when everything’s rosy, I don’t turn to him. I’m guessing the same is true of everyone. It certainly was true for Joseph.

There aren’t many worse things I can think of than being sold into slavery by his own brothers. After he arrives in Egypt, Joseph’s life continues to spiral south with more and more suffering. He’s put in charge of his master’s home and fields because he’s so reliable, but his master’s wife falsely accuses him of attempted rape, and he’s thrown into prison, Ge 37, 39:1-20.

Once there, he’s put in charge by the jailer because he sees Jospeh’s character, but he’s left there languishing for years. Even after helping Pharoah’s servants in jail who are eventually freed, Joseph is still forgotten there for two more years, Ge 39:21-41:1.

But during his ordeal, “God was with Joseph and things went very well with him.” Two verses say basically the same thing. Are forced slavery, false charges, and wrongful imprisonment your idea of things going “very well”? Mine, neither, Ge 39:2, 23 MSG.

I’m both thrilled and troubled by the idea: God’s favor doesn’t translate into a life of ease. This is the troubling piece, because I want to believe that because God loves me, life will go well for me. There will be no bumps in the road or hard things to suffer. But the life of Joseph doesn’t give me that guarantee.

On the other hand, a life of trouble doesn’t translate into a withdrawal of God’s blessing, either. This is the thrilling piece. Joseph’s troubles opened a door into deeper relationship with God, a relationship that produces greater comfort, greater calm, greater character, Js 1:2-4.

It’s not suffering in-and-of-itself that makes you stronger. It’s walking through the suffering with God, who gives you what you need to endure it—and even thrive, “For such persons loyally in love with God, the reward is life and more life,” Js 1:12.

In fact, a life of trouble is a blessing in disguise, “a sheer gift,” because it prompts you to find relief. Whether or not you turn to God is your choice, but if you do, you find him the very best place to be. He’s the One you’ve been looking for all your life and never knew—until you needed him, Js 1:2.

It’s not finding financial success or family or fun or even yourself that ultimately means very much.  It’s finding God.  This is what we’re here for.  This is the reason we’re alive.  

He promises that every person who seeks him “with all [their] heart,” finds him, and with him, every good thing you ever dreamed of thrown in besides. You can trust the God who made up all the great stuff you love to know how to treat you. But you’ve gotta seek him, not all the great stuff, Je 29:13, Mt 6:33, 1 Co 2:9 MSG.

When things go badly, seek God with all your heart.

Matthew 13:1-23

If you’ve ever planted a garden, you know that the difference between asphalt, graveled ground, weedy ground, and good ground is this: good ground has been dug up—a lot.

Over and over, it’s been worked and cultivated, weeded and tended. Its hardpan has been pickaxed; it’s rocks have been tossed. This ground didn’t just happen. There’s been a lot of hard work over a lot of time to make it soft and receptive and ready for seeds.

Clearly Jesus wasn’t giving gardening advice. His intent was to tell how to thrive in life. What’s his message? Get your heart ready for the words he plants, Mt 13:18.

A heart as hard as asphalt doesn’t have a chance of taking in what he’s teaching. A heart full of rocks doesn’t have enough depth for a seed to take root. A heart full of worry-weeds chokes out wisdom-seeds. But a heart that’s been dug and dug and dug is ready to grow the bumper crop of a wise and flourishing life, Mt 13:18-23.

How do we dig up our hearts?  I don’t know.  

But I do know that God keeps digging up mine with the troubles that come. Over and over, he plows into me and rakes, jack hammers and tosses. I can cooperate with this process by agreeing it needs doing and asking him to keep it up. Or I can run away and numb it or distract myself. Either way, I suffer. But knowing there’s a bumper crop coming “beyond [my] wildest dreams” keeps me yielding to him, Mt 13:23 MSG.

When things go badly, embrace the threshing so more thriving comes.

Psalm 18:1-19

Things are going about as badly for David as they can go—“the hangman’s noose was at my throat,” and “hell’s ropes cinched me tight.” What to do? Ps 18:4-5 MSG.

David prays.  His cry brings him “right into [God’s} presence,” where he’s got “a private audience.” Ps 18:6 MSG.

And God rescues.  He doesn’t ask David what he’s done or how he’s tried to resolve his problem.  No. God gets up right away and acts, Ps 18:9-10.  

He moves heaven and earth to reach David, and when he does, he pulls him out “of that ocean of hate, that enemy chaos” and sets him in a wide-open space where he’s safe. “He rescued me because he delighted in me,” and he’s “surprised to be loved” this much, Ps 18:3, 7-19 MSG and NIV.

David sings his praises to God, overjoyed to have found him as the “bedrock under [his] feet,” “the castle in which [he] lives,” “[his] rescuing knight,” “the high crag where [he] runs for dear life.” He’s “hiding behind the boulders, safe in the granite hideout,” Ps 18:2 MSG.

I’ve had *experiences when I’ve been on my last nerve or last leg and cried out for help like this. God’s come through for me, too. He’s a saving God, after all. He saves me because I can’t save myself from all the troubles I bump into. And neither can you.

Whether you need saving from your sin or from the neighbor who keeps bothering you, go to God and tell him about it. Trust that you’ve got his ear and a private audience, like David, and that he’ll get up right away to help you, because you are his delight, too.

When things go badly, pray.

 Prayer

God, I keep trying to manage my troubles rather than give them to you.  Thank you for being a strong tower that I can run to.  I’m astonished to read that you’re delighted in me.  Help me believe that you’re also delighted to save me and not disappointed that I keep needing you.

In Jesus’ name.

Proverbs 3:30-35

Don’t go looking for a fight. Don’t bully others. God curses the homes of people like that, but “he blesses the home of the righteous” and rewards them.

*For true stories of God’s rescues, click here and here and here.

Passages from Genesis, Matthew, Psalms, and Proverbs are selected for today in The Yearly Bible.