Sometimes people view their outward circumstances as an indication of where they stand in their relationship with God. From this perspective, you may think God is pleased with you when things are going well.
But what about when you face dark days? What if things don’t go according to your plans? What if you’re facing troubling times? Does this mean you’ve lost God’s favor?
Biblical Examples
There are plenty of examples in the Bible of people who faced difficult days. Consider Job. He faced unparalleled devastation. Through the experience, he found that friends may fail, but God does not. God remains in control. His presence and promises are constant companions that continue to provide hope even in the darkest times.
Joseph was sold into slavery by his own brothers out of jealousy because of their father Jacob’s favoritism. Later, as a slave in Egypt, he was falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife. Yet, God ended up making him second-in-command of the land of Egypt. Joseph later acknowledged “God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives” (Genesis 50:20).
Jeremiah was a faithful prophet of God. Yet, along with his people, he experiences the fall of Jerusalem. Many died. Survivors were taken into captivity. When it seemed as if there was no hope, he writes:
It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:22–23
When everything appears bleak, believers look to the Lord. His compassion is limitless. It never fails. Even in the darkness, we find hope in the Lord.
God is Faithful
This is because God’s promises do not depend on us. When God makes a promise, he keeps it. He is faithful even when we are not. (2 Timothy 2:13). This means you can always count on God to keep his promises.
The greatest promise he made was to send his Son to rescue us. He kept that promise despite our sin. “God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). God made good on his promise to rescue us.
This brings hope during days of darkness. You already have God’s favor because Jesus came as our perfect substitute. Sickness and trouble only drive us to trust even more in God’s unconditional and unfailing promises.
Your outward circumstances are not an accurate indicator of your standing with God. That’s determined based on your faith relationship with Jesus. Sometimes in life, God may allow trouble, so we trust in his promises. There we cling to the sure hope in Christ that we will live eternally with our faithful God forever.
The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
Romans 8:18
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