In March 2017, a large prairie fire scorched thousands of acres of land in central Kansas, including a section of pasture at our small ranch..
What do we do when things get worse before they get better? Just when we thought we couldn’t take any more, we find ourselves stuck in adversity boot camp.
Several times in my life, I’ve prayed heartfelt prayers for a heartbreaking situation. And you know what happened? Things got worse. A wayward loved one drifted farther away. The gravely injured child died. The friend’s cancer returned with a vengeance. A blossoming dream withered under the heat of daily pressures.
What do we do when we take our troubles to God, and the troubles get worse?
We choose to remember that adversity is our spiritual boot camp. God can use those situations to train us to trust Him.
The Bible gives many examples of bad to worse situations.
Joseph’s brothers sell him into slavery in Genesis 37. By working hard as an Egyptian slave, he rises to a position of importance in Potiphar’s household. His reward? Potiphar’s wife accuses him of attempted rape and gets him thrown in jail.
In Exodus 5, Moses goes to Pharoah and asks that he let the Israelites go into the wilderness for three days to worship God. Instead of letting the slaves go, pharoah makes their jobs harder by not providing the straw they need to make bricks. Pharoah greatly increased their work by making them gather straw in addition to making bricks. The people get angry with Moses for making their lives worse.
Daniel is caught praying to God in Daniel 6 after the king’s minions urge the king to outlaw prayer for 30 days. Daniel is thrown in the lion’s den.
Instead of helping us get out of the frying pan, God sometimes ushers us into the fire. At least it feels that way for a while.
‘God intended it for good’
Even though we may be mired in a discouraging struggle, we know the ultimate victory belongs to God.
Prairie grass and wild flowers grow lush and vibrant just ten weeks after the massive prairie fire. Like fire brings renewal to the land, we can find new growth in enduring adversity.
In Joseph’s case, he lingers forgotten in jail for a long time until a former cellmate remembers Joseph’s skill at interpreting dreams. After figuring out the meaning of Pharoah’s dream and proposing a wise course of action, Joseph becomes second in command in Egypt.
When Joseph is reunited with the brothers who sold him into slavery, he tells them, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” – Gen 50:20
For Moses and the Israelites, God worked many miracles through the plagues culminating in the parting of the Red Sea before the people’s slavery ended.
As for Daniel, God came through right away in the lion’s den, prompting King Darius to proclaim the greatness of Daniel’s God and give a decree that all his people show reverence to God.
These are just a few of many examples where people are following God but the path becomes more treacherous before the situation improves. In Joseph’s case, he suffered for years before he prospered.
Adversity trains our minds and spirits
Why all the hardship? Nothing works as well in shaping our faith as navigating times of trial.
Adversity is like strength training for our minds and spirits.
“Just as we develop our physical muscles through overcoming opposition – such as lifting weights – we develop our character muscles by overcoming challenges and adversity.” – Stephen Covey
“We don’t develop courage by being happy every day. We develop it by surviving difficult times and challenging adversity.” – Barbara De Angelis
Sometimes we forget, but this is a biblical principle. The Apostle Paul writes, “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.” – Romans 5:3-5
God often works in adversity. God uses adversity in our own life stories. Adversity is part of God’s plan for our growth. How we handle adversity shows what we believe about God.
When we come to the end of our own strength and choose to trust God, that’s when God shows up in a big way. He may not answer right away. That’s where we buckle down in adversity boot camp and allow endurance to develop our characters while remembering our hope of salvation.
Plans are good. We should make them. But don’t underestimate the power of plans gone awry. Remember some faith-shaping transformations are only possible by going through adversity boot camp.
Do you ever feel like you’re in adversity boot camp?
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I’ve written before about adopting a new mindset in a challenging season, learning to trust God when life is hard and finding our purpose in disappointment.
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