Nothing is more difficult than praising God when nothing seems to be going right...But complain like worry solves no problem. “The circumstances you complain about become chains that imprison you.” Mark recommends, “And worship becomes the way out; it reframes our problems and refocuses our lives. He adds, “It helps us get through the bad days by reminding us how good God is.”
In the month of August, 2017, we reflected on The Place of Awareness, Realization and Holiness (Gen 28:16). We stated that “Life is a journey. As we moved through one end to another, we encounter different events with different experiences……… We move from dryness to wetness.” ….and concluded, “God is always with us whether we know it or not, even when we forget it, but we need to always remember it.” Indeed, the surging devastating hurricane that swept through Houston and her surrounding cities late month of August 2017 reaffirmed the fact that “We encounter different events with different experiences. The untold event of catastrophic hurricane Harvey and the associated flood has left people and places with “Unexplainable experiences.” We all experience times of adversity in our lifetime. As the saying goes, what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger. Turn to God and His words during times of adversity for strength and comfort. When we put our faith in him, he will help guide us to the path of happiness and peace. (2 Corinthians 4:8-9).
The hurricane Harvey landed on Corpus Christi, Texas and its raging flood engulfed Houston and her surrounding areas. Many cities were submerged under the flood water, People lost their houses, vehicles and personal effects and some lives threatened and others lost. The rich and poor alike have had their homes and lives upended. Report reveals about 39 people died, including a Houston police officer, a family trapped in a van beneath surging floodwater and a mother whose shivering 3 year old was found clinging to her unresponsive body. Rivers and Bayous overflew their bounds and turned roads and highways into rivers such that boats and trailers became the only safe means of transportation and rescues. The images of inundated streets and victims on rooftops evoke Hugh volunteer efforts that operated with little official guidance. Even a business man turned his mattress store into a safe heaven. At least the experiences were devastating and unexplainable; funny enough, those who never believed in God were forced to call on God Almighty for intervention and help.
What came to mind was the experienced of the flood in the days of Noah, when God visited the earth with anger as recorded in the Genesis of the bible? I may be tempted to ask a couple of questions: Is God angry with us that He allowed such surging flood to engulf us? Is He still sovereign over the whole earth? I wish to add, “Is God still sitting on the throne? How else can we explain such adversity? I can see God in the middle of the storm. However, in life the same adversity affects two people differently, all depending on who you are and circumstance you face. What could poison one person to death, may sweeten another ones’ spirit. This brings me to a story I read in a book – In a pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day by Mark Batterson. “I had a Nigerian student who was in his mid-sixties. He could hardly talk or walk because of several strokes that affected his motor skills and speech………Sometimes I would give him a ride home from class……I had to physically lift his legs into the car because his right leg was so atrophied from disease. ………….And he was living in welfare. But he was wearing a hat that said “God is good.” And he didn’t just wear the hat, he walked the talk…. Mark always asked “What right do I have to complain about anything? Anytime I feel like throwing a pity parting, I think about “the hat incident.” And it helps me reframe my problems. Mr. Batterson opined that we have two types of people in the world – complainers and worshipers. There isn’t much circumstantial difference between the two. While complainers always find something to complain about, worshipers will always find something to praise God about. They simply have different default settings.
In the midst of Harvey hurricane wahala, many have good reason to complain – they were in shelters, lost their homes and valuables, rescued from the flood, and some lost family members. But complain like worry solves no problem. “The circumstances you complain about become chains that imprison you.” Mark recommends, “And worship becomes the way out; it reframes our problems and refocuses our lives. He adds, “It helps us get through the bad days by reminding us how good God is.” This brings back a reflection on “the hat incident” Mark talked about. If we look pensively on the Harvey hurricane and the associated surging flood experiences, we will find God in the midst of the storm and something to reassure us of how good God is, in the midst of devastation and adversity. “The Lord God is merciful and gracious, long suffering and abundant in goodness and truth” (Exodus 34:6). The Psalmist cried, “….Remember me for thy goodness sake, O Lord” (Psalm 25:7) and “Surely God is good to Israel, and to those who are pure in heart” (Psalm 73:1). He added, “Oh that men would praise the Lord for His goodness and for His wonderful works to the children of men! For He satisfied the longing soul and fills the hungry soul with goodness” (Psalm 107:8-9). The Scripture urges, “……Saints to rejoice in God’s goodness” (2 Chronicles 6:41).
No doubt everyone expects everyday to be good. But that may not be a realistic expectation because if every day is good, there wouldn’t be a bad day. Batterson said, “It is the bad days that help us appreciate the good days, the same as sick days help us to appreciate healthy days. Also failure helps us appreciate success as debt helps us appreciate wealth. And the tough times help us appreciate the good times.” This is the reality of life. Don’t let a bad day make you feel like you have a bad life. ~Author Unknown. It’s just a bad day and shall soon pass; move on! In a period of adversity, you reframe your problems which mean shifting your focus. “You stop focusing on what’s wrong with your circumstances and start focusing on what’s right with God.” Do not let what is wrong with you or situation stops you from worshiping what’s right with God. “Worship is forgetting about what’s wrong with you and remembering what’s right with God.” It’s like hitting the refresh bottom on your computer. It restores the joy of your salvation and recalibrates your spirit. It renews your mind. And it enables you to find something good to praise God about even when everything seems to be going wrong.”…….Nothing is more difficult than praising God when nothing seems to be going right. But one of the purest forms of worship is praising God even when you don’t feel like it, because it proves that your worship is not circumstantial.” One must still have chaos in oneself to be able to give birth to a dancing star. –Nietzsche
In Acts 16, Paul and Silas were put into prison for proclaiming Jesus Christ. They were missionaries, preaching the word of God passionately; healed the sick and cast out demons yet they were beaten and thrown into jail. Yet God seems to have looked the other way! They had every good reason to complain about their circumstances but they chose to worship God in spite of their adversity – Their hands and feet were chained but no one could chain their human spirit. They praised God at the top of their voices and that caused chained bound hands and feet to be broken. They sang with conviction and that caused fellow prisoners to listen, catch fire in their spirit such that the jailer who was about to kill himself put his faith in Christ and his entire family baptized in the middle of the night. That’s what worship does in the midst of adversity.
When you worship, the spiritual and inner eyes become more sensitive and open to see God goodness all around you. Your focus determines your reality and you can experience the worst days turn into best days if we learn the lesson God teaches us. If you look in faith and not in sight, you will surely see God in the midst of storm. He wants us to learn to see bad experiences through the good we have gained from them. There’s no doubt that God uses the most, the people who have experienced the most adversity. However God used adversity to increase our capacity. The more problem you have, the more potential you have. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast (1 Peter 5:10). Little wonder, God assures, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you. And when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flame will not set you ablaze” (Isaiah 43:2). My father used to say, you cannot be an experience man in what you’ve not experienced. Let worship be a way out of our adversity and restoration.