We wonder how we’ll carry on after the day the bottom dropped out. For you, it may have been the day of a financial crisis, a bad diagnosis, an accident, or your spouse walking out. Listen as Susie talks with bestselling author and pastor Max Lucado. He unpacks the biblical story of Joseph, and how God worked through his circumstances to bring reconciliation. If you can foresee a season of hardship in your life, know that God is good, and You’ll Get Through This.
In Joseph’s story, God used a time of rejection and loneliness to prepare him for a time of leadership. Early on, God planted a vision in Joseph’s heart, but first he needed to walk through a valley. Here are a few principles Max points to for your time in the valley:
• Remember that God is good all the time. Don’t simply say “God is good” when things are bearing fruit in your life, your relationships are solid, and your health is stable. God is also good when our finances fall apart, our children walk away from faith, and our contentment is shaken.
• Think about this amazing statement, repeated in Genesis: “But God was with Joseph.” Let God’s Word trump your emotions – feeling alone does not mean that you are alone. As God was with Moses, so He is with you. Choose to believe His promise.
• What you do with your pain matters. Will you offer a sacrifice of praise, or will you fall into self-pity? The book of Revelation says that saints overcome Satan by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony (Revelation 12:11). Your suffering is part of your story – sharing your story with others robs Satan of his power.
• Recognize that sometimes more faith means more intense struggles. When we actively work for the kingdom, Satan targets us more intensely.
Max points out that every Christian needs to develop a “theology of suffering.” For the one who believes in Christ, difficulties are not punishments. Rather, they are meant to refine us, to bring us closer to God, and to increase our intimacy with Him while things around us seems to be spinning out of control. We look to Hebrews 12:26-28, which describes the fact that our world is shaken to reveal that our heavenly kingdom is solid and everlasting. Finally, Max has come up with a saying for every suffering person that he calls the Survivor’s Creed:
You’ll get through this; it may not be quick or painless, but God can use this mess that you’re in for something good. In the meantime don’t be foolish or naive but don’t despair, because with God as your helper, you’ll get through this.
Key Scriptures: Genesis 50:20; Psalm 126
Theme Song: Take Another Step by Steven Curtis Chapman
Highlight : Encouragement for the hard times
Encouragement for the hard times
This program originally aired on October 14.
Image: Flickr
