Smile in the Face of Adversity! The last couple of Days have been kinda a struggle for me. I think that school pressures and being so far from home is kinda taking its toll on me maybe. But I know this is the place where the Lord wants me and that he is always with me.
The other day in my Devos, I was reading about Joseph and how he completely trusted God and smiled in the face of adversity. I mean think about it. He was beat up and thrown into a pit by his brothers who later sold him into slavery. Then after hard work and a godly spirit he was appointed the personal attendant to Potiphar, the captain of the Egyptian army. I mean what an honor! It shows that with God anything is possible. But the story gets worse before it gets better. One day, when Potiphar was out and all his servants were gone out of the house. Potiphar’s wife came to Joseph and asked him to come to bed with her. Now through class and study I have found out that Joseph must have been a good-looking guy. So this worldly woman didn’t have second thoughts about committing adultery with such a handsome, respectable, and nice young man. But God was with Joseph. Joseph was committed to doing right in the eyes of the Lord! I mean, he could have easily got away with it. Nobody was around. Nobody would ever have known. But that is where you are wrong. God was there! And Joseph knew this. So when she asked, Joseph ran! He didn’t say, “no I can’t do that to my master.” He didn’t say, “ maybe later.” He didn’t even just walk away. He ran from sin! He ran from sin, and ran to God. Now this is where the story gets interesting.
Growing up or early in our Christian walk, many Christians believe that if they get saved, if they have the presence of God in there life; all the problems and hurt in this world will go away. But we see right in the Bible, right in the word of our Lord; that with God it might even create problems in our Life. Think about it. Didn’t Jesus say in the New Testament, that if you put your trust in Him, we will be mocked and hurt for it? We will be persecuted for our faith. “All men will hate you because of me.” (Luke 21:17) What I have learned is that people will not like the fact that we believe in God. They won’t like it that we have a happy, caring spirit all the time. I mean it’s not normal in this world. It’s only with the manifest presence of God that we get to have this character. It’s only with our Daddy’s presence that we can smile in the face of adversity. Because we know that with ever trail and testing God puts in our life something good will come out of it. Our God loves us so much that He disciplines and tests us to make us grow closer to being like our savior Jesus Christ. Proverbs 3:11-12 says, “My, son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline and do not resent his rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son delights in. With adversity comes wisdom, and a better understanding of our Lord. Like I said in my last blog, “Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. (Proverbs 3:13, 14) So God does not take all the problems out of our lives when we turn to him. That would take away the whole point of faith. The Lord tests us to make us grow closer to him. What I have found though is when the trials of life come, this is where people either turn their back on God, or mature in their relationship with the Father.
After Joseph ran from the sin of adultery, he was put into prison by Potiphar for attempted rape. This is where the story started to really amaze me as a young Christian growing up. I mean how could anybody who has been put into this situation keep his relationship with God so strong? How could he not become rebellious and resentful? I can sum the answer to that up with four words: God was with him. Joseph never turned his back and God. So God never turned His back on Joseph. His desire to please the Lord was so strong that any persecution brought on him for his God’s sake didn’t matter to him. I mean of course he didn’t like going to prison, but if he was in prison, that is where the Lord wanted him to be.
Everything that happens in life is part of the Lord’s plan. I love the quote by Dave Early in my devo book that says, “Faith is like radar, which sees through the fog – the reality of things at a distance that the human eye cannot see. As Christian’s we need to remember this. God isn’t bringing persecution and adversities into our life to “get back at us.” He is doing out of love and the desire to see us grow and to fulfill the future plans He has for us. He wants an intimate relationship. He desires those face to face talks. Everything in life happens for a reason.
We see as we finish up the story of Joseph that the plans of God in his life were so great! Joseph kept trusting the Lord and living with God’s presence. He did not faulter. After being appointed from prisoner, to running the prison, God brought the biggest plan for Joseph’s life. He was appointed the Prime minister of Egypt. You thought being Potiphar’s attendant was an honor? He would later on save all of Egypt from starvation. What an amazing life lived for our Lord! Joseph could have given up and got bitter at God during any of these life changing trials. But he stayed strong in the Faith. He trusted Lord to get him through. He became everything the Lord wanted him to be.
After reading a story like that, it makes you think about the trials your going through right now and how minuscule they really are. But at the same time these miniscule trials are helping you grow closer to having the manifest presence of God in your life. Let’s put this idea to what I’m going through right now for example. I may be having a rough time here the past couple of days, but I know the Lord is trying to really teach me something. Over the last couple of weeks I finally broke out of the stale mode I was in with my relationship with my Savior. I am finally growing again! But with this I know will come some trials and testing from my Daddy. He wants me to grow. He wants to teach me and bring me closer to him. He is teaching me patience and trust. Patience until I can go home again, and for me to trust Him with school. The Lord is making me live my life verses out! Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto your own understandings; in all thy way acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy paths. (Proverbs 3:5, 6) God Bless!

~Zack