Ever have one of “those days” when everything just seems to be going wrong?
You get up in the morning still tired from a less-than-perfect-night’s sleep and you turn on the news only to hear one catastrophe after another. You’re also running late for work, and when you grab your phone, you realize that you forgot to plug it in and the battery is dead.
Then you go to the coffee pot hoping to turn your day around – anxious to get that fresh cup you just brewed – only to find that you didn’t quite have the pot on straight. So instead of having a fresh cup of coffee, you now have a counter full of it.
Sound familiar?
Life is hard.
Some days are full of aggravating circumstances, and others are just seemingly unbearable. Like the call you get from a friend whose marriage is ending after 30 years or the news that a loved one has passed away. Or when your boss calls you into the office and explains that your job is being cut.
It circles back to the age-old question: Why do bad things happen to good people?
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Free MP3Listen NowBad things happen, period. The world we live in is fallen and broken, and so are the people in it. We all have to confront trials and difficulties, and painful (sometimes really painful) things.
Jesus promised that we would have to face tribulation, but He also gave us the promise of peace, a command to take courage, and reassurance that He is in control.
“I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
I don’t know about you, but I’ve personally experienced a lot of tribulation in my life. I remember a season when I hurt my back and had excruciating pain. Shortly after, a man who has been a father figure to me nearly died. Then, one of my wife’s friends died, followed by one of my closest friends calling me to tell me that his doctors gave him less than a 20 percent chance to live.
It’s during such difficult times that we wonder: Can we experience God’s peace and get His perspective when life seems to be coming apart at the seams?
It is possible. But we must regain God’s perspective in order to experience His peace in the absolute worst times of our life.
To help you do this, here are five keys to a godly perspective. Remember that…
- God is Good (Psalm 84:11)
- Life is Hard (John 16:33)
- God is Sovereign (Romans 8:28)
- God is All-Wise (Romans 11:33-36)
- God is All-Powerful (Jeremiah 32:17)
Over the years, I’ve slowly and quietly reviewed the five pillars. I say them out loud, read the verses out loud, pray them, and I meditate on who God is.
My circumstances rarely change much (at least not immediately), but my perspective does. I’ve learned over the years, I either have a very big God with very small problems, or I have very big problems with a very small God.
If you’re struggling, or know someone who is, take God’s truth to heart for the next week – every morning and every night. Review the Five Pillars. Declare them out loud! Pray them! And finally, believe them!
God has promised to take care of us, and when we remember who He is, refuse to worry, get His direction, develop a plan, and move forward boldly, we experience His peace and His power.
For more insight on developing a godly perspective, check out the series I Choose Joy.
Written By
Chip Ingram
Founder & Teaching Pastor, Living on the Edge
Chip Ingram is the CEO and teaching pastor of Living on the Edge, an international teaching and discipleship ministry. A pastor for over thirty years, Chip has a unique ability to communicate truth and challenge people to live out their faith. He is the author of many books, including The Real God, Culture Shock and The Real Heaven. Chip and his wife, Theresa, have four grown children and twelve grandchildren and live in California.
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