Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel.
– Philippians 1:12 (NIV)
It is hard for us to see God at work when things do not go our way. We have a natural inclination to assume that something is very wrong when we find ourselves in the middle of some sort of struggle. Our thoughts gravitate to “how can I get out of this” and our prayer towards, “God, will you make this go away.”
Paul’s confession is that his circumstances, that of being imprisoned for his faith, had actually served to advance the gospel. While Paul himself lost personal freedom, the gospel message found the freedom to reach people it otherwise would not have reached.
Many of us wrongly assume that good times equals God’s blessing, and bad times equals God’s punishment. We also wrongly assume that because we are followers of Christ that we are the good guys and that means we only deserve the good stuff of life. God’s will cannot be broken down into categories that mirror worldly advantages— being the haves and the have nots.
No matter where you find yourself, your life will be a mixture of good and bad circumstances. You may even experience intense persecution or worse, lose your life. You may experience bad or even tragic circumstances that are no fault of your own. We will all be victims of someone else’s bad choices in this sinful world, but that doesn’t mean we have to be powerless. We, like Paul, can keep our eyes on the Lord and we can stay on mission no matter our circumstances. Is it hard, YES! it is hard to die to ourselves—to die to the notion that we DESERVE better. But the promise of God is that He will “never leave us nor forsake us”—this includes the difficult days.
He can make a way where there seems to be no way, and He can open doors that seem to be permanently sealed. He can use your troubles to change your own heart as well as lead others closer to the Cross. He can make sure that your pain is not wasted. He can bring healing from hurt and joy from despair. He can plant new crops in barren soil, and He can unleash revival in the harshest of circumstances. So, don’t judge God’s faithfulness by the severity of your circumstances, but hold tightly to the promise of His presence and His power.