Do you let what’s wrong with you keep you from worshipping what’s right with God?

When things get tough, are you a complainer or a worshipper?

I think we all have a tendency to complain, cry, scream, and yell when things get tough in our lives. But, when we do that, we are letting what’s wrong in our life keep us from worshipping what’s right with God. And, not only should we always worship God for who He is, but worship can actually be the way out when our circumstances become bleak. Worshipping God can help us change how we look at our circumstances and can help us far more than complaining about them.

Oh ladies, we have loved reading this chapter. Of the many things in this chapter, we have learned so much about perspective. What is encouraging about what he presents in this chapter is that we can control our perspective in difficult times even if we can’t control the difficult situation. He talks about Paul and Silas and how they worshipped God when imprisoned. They could not control their imprisonment, but they could control their attitude while imprisoned. And, they chose to focus their attitudes on God and worship Him.

When we are faced with trials and problems in our life, oftentimes we cannot control them. And, as psychologists have recommended, in an uncontrollable situation it is necessary to reframe the problem by shifting our focus. And, worshipping God is the best way to reframe and refocus. By worshipping God, we are able to zoom out of our individual problem and refocus on the big picture. The big picture of what God has done for us and promises to do for us. When you stop and think of his coming to earth, dying on a cross, and saving us from an eternal Hell, your individual problem seems less significant. And, you can focus on God’s love, mercy, and grace and the fact that you have a place where you are going that will be free from pain and sorrow. We know that it can be very difficult to shift focus in life from the bad to the good. But, we must do this in order to restore our joy and renew our minds.

Another way to refocus the adversity that you may be facing is to focus on what you can learn from the trial. When we endure hardships, we learn so much. And, the growth that happens in the face of adversity is far greater than the growth that occurs in the good times. If you look at each trial as an opportunity to grow and develop skills for later use, then you can find such purpose in the pain that you may be experiencing. As it says in this chapter, “No one likes being in the pits or put out to pasture, but maybe God is developing character and honing skills that will serve you later in life” (p. 64). We should stop asking God to get us out of difficult circumstances and start ask Him what He wants us to get out of these difficult circumstances.

In fact, one clear way that we can find purpose in our trials is by turning our adversity into ministry. It really is “our past problems that prepare us for our future opportunities” (p. 65). And, these future opportunities are oftentimes in the form of helping and encouraging others. And, when you can use what you’ve been through to help and encourage someone else, it has a way of giving you purpose and helping you heal even further. When you keep all that pain inside of you, it remains there and becomes very unhealthy for you. But, when you can take it and turn it into a ministry of helping others, it ends up helping you just as much as the recipient of that help.

Are you in a pit? Are you complaining or worshipping in that pit? Are you looking for ways to grow in that pit? And, are you looking for ways that you can recycle this adversity into a ministry to help others? When we face difficult situations in life, sometimes it is easier to just throw our hands up in the air and complain and cry and be miserable. However, how much better would it be if we chose to change our perspective? God knows all things and He knows every issue, every problem and every experience we will have in life. And, He knows the experiences and trials that we need to have to build our skills that we will need later. Don’t pray that God would keep you from adversity. Instead, pray that God will give us the experiences that He thinks we need to become the best witness for Him. It just may be that your unanswered prayers would have robbed you of your greatest opportunities had God granted your desires to avoid certain circumstances. When we pray, we should really be praying for God’s best for us. We honestly don’t know what is best for us and if any of you have been through anything life changing, then you’ve seen that. As painful as some things are, when you come out of them you can look back and see the growth, the purpose, and the strength that came out of the bad.

Things to think and pray about this week:

1. How are you praying? Are you praying that God will make your life easy? Or are you praying that God would help develop in you character and strength to make it through those hard circumstances?

2. Are you a worshipper or a complainer? Are you worshipping God for what is right with Him and not complaining about what is wrong in you?

3. As you think back on the trials and hardships in your life, are you using those experiences to help others? How can you recycle your adversity into a ministry?

4. As you look over your life, do you have an unanswered prayer that you are thankful for? How has this unanswered prayer prepared you to be who you are today?

5. Are you currently experiencing a difficult situation? What are you learning in this situation? Pray that God shows you how to grow in that situation and how you can use it to help others.

As you are reflecting on your adversities and your prayer life this week, please know that everyone can change their perspective and find the good that is in bad situations. As we continue to see through the first four chapters, God wants you to have a full, rich life that honors Him. And, that full, rich life comes with immense growth if you let God develop you. Remember to continue to ask for God’s direction and discernment to see the lions that God has sent into your life. We all can, and must, be lion chasers after the opportunities that God has given us. Do not avoid situations that will result in immense growth and prepare you for future opportunities. Look at each trial as an opportunity to hone skills that can be used for God.

We’ll close this week by saying that many of us pray for God to keep us away from adversity and trials in life. But, instead of praying that we won’t encounter hardships, pray today that God will prepare you to handle trials in this life. Pray that God will help you refocus on what you can learn through adversity and how you can use your circumstances to help others. Live a life where you do not avoid the opportunities that God has for you because they seem be disguised in hardship. And, above all things, worship God in all circumstances because He is always worthy of our praise, regardless of our situation.