We’ve all had one of those days. One of those days when nothing seems to go right. The car breaks down. The babysitter bails. You spill coffee down your shirt before a big presentation. Or maybe it’s one of those days that negatively impact your life forever. A parent dies, or a spouse walks out. You lose your life savings in an investment that was never supposed to fail.
I’m not sure why, but often these disastrous and tragic events seem to occur in groups. In these times, your faith will be tested. When you have one of those days, how will your perception of God change?
My hope is your perception of God will not change regardless of how trying the circumstances become. We’ve all been taught God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. But when the storms of life are blowing full force, do we still believe this truth? It is tragic so many lose their faith and their hope in God when things become tough beyond imagination. When everything we’ve built comes crashing down around us, it’s easy to blame God. It’s easy to begin to doubt He’s even there. In the moments we need Him most, we will be tempted to abandon the only One who can bring us through the pain.
One of the things I find important to remember is a little prayer I often pray: “All the matters is Your peace, Lord; all that matters is You.” We will have both good and bad days in this life. Ups and downs are guaranteed to rise and fall in a cyclical fashion. The Bible says the rain will fall on the righteous and the sinner (Matthew 5:44-45). I promise you no one is exempt. What’s important is our foundation in those moments. If we’re focused only on the peace provided by the love of Jesus, the external losses won’t hit us as hard. If our focus is on anything but Christ, we risk being devastated by whatever comes our way.
A favorite lesson from many of our early Sunday School days is in play here (Matthew 7:24-27). When the storms of life come, it will be evident if we’ve built our lives on a firm foundation (Christ) or on shifting sand (the whims and desires of culture). If all that matters is the peace and love of Jesus, having “one of those days” will be something at which we shake our heads. If our hope is found in anything but God, one of those days can ruin us forever.
Having one of those days is inevitable, but we can begin preparing for them now. By making Jesus our sole priority and focus, we can all but make ourselves immune from “one of those days”. When we develop a higher purpose for our lives than finding happiness and fulfillment here on earth, we will begin to recognize and live out the purpose for which we were created. Storms will still come. Tragedy will still weave its way into your life. But holding fast to Jesus, you can withstand the tempest, and in the end, you will be found standing (Ephesians 6:13). Prepare your foundation today and you can find peace the next time one of those days comes around.