Have you ever found yourself in a bad situation and wondered why? It seems when things aren’t going well, we immediately look to God and ask why He’s forgotten us. Some even feel like He has done something to them to bring on the circumstances they’re facing.
There are two things we need to remember: God is good and He gives good gifts to His children [Psalm 73:1; Matthew 7:11; Luke 11:13; and James 1:17].
Many times when we face negative situations, they are the result of our own decisions. In Judges 2:1-4 we read how God made a covenant with the Israelites and kept His end of the agreement. The Israelites chose to break the covenant, thus landing them in less than positive circumstances. God didn’t bring the hardship on them, their poor choices did.
We also need to remember “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” [Ephesians 6:12]. When we evaluate our situation and determine we haven’t made a poor choice, then we can assume the enemy is at fault and put on our full armor for battle [Ephesians 6:10-18].
Finally, we need to remember God’s ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts [Isaiah 55:8]. Several years ago my husband was offered a transfer with the bank he worked for and he turned it down. He felt strongly the Lord was telling him we were to stay in Atlanta. He wanted to be more involved in our children’s lives and refused to take a position that would have him traveling each week. He started an independent real estate investment company and began acquiring rental properties. All went well for a while, but then the wheels fell of the bus. We were sinking and couldn’t figure out why. We felt confident the Lord led him in this direction. To the world, this looked like failure and disaster. However, the Lord was at work. God needed Mark to be in the position he was in so he would be available to assist a company looking for part time help with their financial department. In a few months, the position became a full time position and he has worked for them for seven years. He loves the company he works for and he is able to be very involved with the children and their activities. He received more than a full time job. We were able to sell the rental properties and he received the desire of his heart, time with his family.
No matter what your circumstance, God has not forsaken you [Deuteronomy 31:6,8]. He is right beside you, every step of the way. Pull back from the situation and try to gain some perspective. Is the situation a result of a poor decision on your part; is it the enemy trying to bring harm to you; or is it the Lord working in creative ways to bring about a greater good? No matter what the answer is, Jesus is with you through it all!