Reginald S. Screen
LEARNING TO TRUST THE LORD IN ADVERSE SITUATIONS is something I have struggled with, especially in the last few years. According to Scripture, I can and should trust the Lord, with my whole being, in all things, whether good or bad, because He is working in the midst of these trials to bring about something good (Romans 8:28).
In Scripture, we see this truth with Joseph. Joseph, after much abuse and trauma, was elevated to 2nd in Command in Egypt. Joseph was enjoying his success in Egypt and probably starting to forget his trauma when a “change bomb” happened. (A change bomb is a sudden change in the story that comes out of the blue.) Joseph’s brothers, the ones whom “hung him out to dry,” the ones who threw him in the pit and contemplated killing him, the ones who sold him into slavery and caused massive misery in his life, because of a famine, are forced to come before him. Joseph’s response to his brothers gives us insight concerning his journey with the Lord and how he fought to see God in all circumstances. Through this ordeal with his brothers, Joseph could have become bitter with God, people, and life, but he didn’t. Joseph allowed his circumstances to train him rather than destroy him. In Genesis 50:20 Joseph tells his brothers: “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good.” Here’s the principle: no matter what is going on in your life, the Father’s posture towards you is “always” for good. God is not a capricious God! When something happens to His children in this fallen world, He is always concerned.
Friends, over every situation there are two “meants” (intentions). God means it one way. Satan means it another way. You get to “choose” how you want to see a situation. The enemy of your soul wants you to impugn the character of God. He wants you to distrust the Lord. He doesn’t want you to see God as a “Good, Good Father.” The enemy of your soul wants us to feel sorry for yourself and to see yourself as the opposite of blessed: cursed. The aforementioned is the vision that Satan wants you to live out of as a conscious reality. So, the question is, will you, in the midst of trying circumstances (no matter what they are), concentrate on trusting the Lord, and trust that He will do what needs to be done? Will you relax, even in the midst of the pain, and trust the Lord to bring about good out of the situation and allow the trials to train and grow you? Or, will you take Satan’s vision for your life: death, doom, depression, and destruction? I choose to see the Lord, even in the “valley of the shadow of death.” (Ps. 23:4)
In C.S. Lewis’ work Perelandra, the Un-man gives the Green Lady a pocket mirror to see herself. When she says that she can only see her face, he tells her to stand back from the mirror so that she can see her whole body, which she then does. This is how the enemy of your soul works. He wants you to change how you see yourself, your whole self. Satan knows that people live according to how things “Occur” to them.
Friends, take a look a where your most crushing blows in life have been. Once discovered, you will find out where Satan is most afraid of you. and where the Lord has gifted you to bless the world. We see this truth most poignantly in Maya Angelou’s “Triumph Yourself” testimony. Maya blessed the world with her words for many years. Yet, the enemy of her soul had other plans for her. Satan almost pulled it off. But, Maya used her most damning and severe trial for training rather than destruction. To hear Maya’s incredible story, click on the link below;
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