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What Went Wrong Today?

If two or three things go wrong in our day, we may have to pause for a “pity party.” If just a couple of things don’t work out, it can seem like everything is going wrong. That is not a helpful attitude, and can keep us from learning a positive lesson from our adversity.

The life of Esther can help us adjust our attitude. Esther was a beautiful young lady, but many things in life were against her. She was among the captive Jews in the Medo-Persian Empire. She had probably been born in that land which was not her own. Both of her parents were dead, and she was being raised by Mordecai, a relative (Est. 1:5-7). That was a lot going wrong for her. Her future brightened when she became queen of the land (2:17), but she was soon in an awkward and dangerous position. The king unwittingly signed a law which spelled doom for all the Jews in the empire. It is likely that Esther would have been destroyed with her people. Mordecai placed more stress on Esther by asking her to intercede on behalf of her people. Her intercession could well have cost her her life (4:11).

Mordecai sent Esther a message, “If you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place and you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?” (4:14).

All those things which seemed to be going wrong, also seem to be God’s way of putting the right person in the right place to save His chosen people. Esther did exactly that. So we need to ask ourselves a question when things go wrong. Who knows whether our troubles might really be God leading us to be the right person in the right place? We may never know! Yet, going forward in faith, against the odds, may open the door to great service. A “pity party” will only keep that door closed.

Rusty Dawson

Genesis 6:8 says, “Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.” The context of that statement puts Noah in contrast to the rest of the world which had turned to evil. Verse 5 tells us that man had become corrupt: “And that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” The sinful state of the world grieved God’s heart, but Noah found favor.

Whenever mankind turns away from God, the result is always a degeneration of morality and righteousness. Genesis 6:11 says, “The earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and the earth was filled with violence.” When people forget that we are all made in God’s image, and that God wants us to love and respect one another, the result usually goes toward violence. Though some desire a liberation from the commandments of God, that kind of freedom does not set us free. The truth of God’s word is the only foundation of true and lasting freedom (Jn. 8:32).

Noah found favor with the Lord because of his attitude of humble obedience. Genesis 7:22 tells us about the actions of Noah after receiving God’s commandments about building the ark. The verse says, “Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did.” Hebrews 11:7 describes his obedience: “By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household.” When we hold God in reverence, then we act in faith and follow what God has commanded. In this way, like Noah, we find favor in the eyes of the Lord.

Stilwell Church of Christ - Rusty Dawson, Minister

A Lesson from Job

Job became so frustrated with his illness and afflictions that he became frustrated also with God. He said, “But I would speak to the Almighty, and I desire to argue with God” (Job 13:3). Job loved God, but he did not love what God had allowed. Thus he had a great internal conflict and was heading toward a crisis of faith.

Eliphaz rebuked his friend Job. He said, “Indeed, you do away with reverence, and hinder meditation before God” (Job 15:4). When we reach the point of wanting to argue with God, we are no longer holding the Almighty in reverence and fear. That attitude will never lead to a resolution in our relationship to God. It is a human attempt to meet God on our terms and show Him why He is wrong and we are right. That stance will hinder our meditation and prayers before the Lord.

Since our ways are not His ways (Is. 55:8), we can become confused and even frustrated with the path which God takes and which He sets before us. Since our thoughts are not His thoughts, the wisdom of God sometimes leaves us baffled. I Cor. 1:25 tells us, “The foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” The resolution of our conflicts in faith and understanding is not to be found in calling God to account for Himself. Instead, we must seek the humility and faith which allows us to surrender to His greater and perfect wisdom. Then we will be in a position to trust and obey and receive His blessings.

Stilwell Church of Christ - Rusty Dawson, Minister

I Don’t Know

There are times we pride ourselves on our knowledge. In fact, we may become discouraged when we have to tell someone, “I don’t know!” Yet, we must all admit that our understanding and our information is severely limited. What we don’t know is almost infinite, so let’s admit that. Truly, not knowing exactly what to do in all circumstances can be the perspective that draws us closer to the God of all knowledge.

In the days of King Jehoshaphat, a great multitude of enemies came against the nation of Judah. Jehoshaphat turned to God because the king had no battle plan and no strength sufficient to turn the enemy away. He prayed, “O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You” (II Chr. 20:12).

God answered that prayer by telling the king he would not have to fight that battle. The Bible says that when the nation of Judah went out and began to sing and praise God, their enemies turned upon one another and they destroyed one another (v. 22 - 23). II Chr. 20:24 says, “When Judah came to a place overlooking the wilderness, they looked toward the multitude; and there were their dead bodies, fallen on the earth. No one had escaped.”

Too often, the storms of life drive us to our own solutions, and our confidence in ourselves can place God in the background. Instead, we must learn to rely on the power and love of God for our remedies. We must learn to remember Rom. 5:6, “When we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.”