What Do You Do When Everything Goes Wrong?
WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN EVERYTHING GOES WRONG? GENESIS 39:20-41:46
What do you do when everything goes wrong? At times the child of God will find themselves in difficulty, darkness, and hardship. But what do you do when you do not understand the difficulty? What do you do when it does not make sense? I mean when it seems like there is no rhyme or reason, no explanation for the hardship, then what do you do? Were going to look at the life of Joseph finding out, what to do when everything goes wrong.
PRINCIPLE # 1: DON'T DEMAND TO UNDERSTAND.
THE HARDSHIPS OF JOSEPH
His brother’s plot sold him as a slave.
Joseph is then taken as a slave to Egypt. And his brothers tell their father that Joseph has been killed by a wild beast. Genesis 37:28
Joseph is falsely accused of attempted rape by his master’s wife. Genesis 39:7-18
Joseph is then discarded in prison. Genesis 39:19-20
While in prison, Joseph helps the butler of Pharaoh. The butler tells Joseph that when he gets out, he will personally see that Pharaoh hears Joseph's chase. However the butler forgets about Joseph. Genesis 40:1-23
Joseph must feel like he is buried with problems. And all this time, Joseph hasn't done anything wrong. As a matter of fact, he has been doing everything right. But here he is, as far as he knows, living the rest of his life in prison. Now, folks, what do you do?
First let’s look at GENESIS 39:20 to gain some insight:
"AND JOSEPH'S MASTER TOOK HIM, AND PUT HIM INTO THE PRISON, A PLACE WHERE THE KING'S PRISONERS WERE BOUND: AND HE WAS THERE IN THE PRISON"
Now remember, Joseph is in prison, not for doing wrong, but for doing right. Now think about this for a minute. If Joseph had been willing commit adultery, he could have stayed out of prison. I'm certain that the devil said to Joseph, "So, you tried to live a godly life. Look what it has gotten you. You’re in jail. Is this the way that God rewards your faithfulness?"
And Satan my whisper to you, “You have remained faithful in your marriage and now look at you. You’re facing a divorce. So where is your God now?”
The devil says to you, “You have been faithful and honest and work. You have been faithfully paying your taxes. And you even tithe. But now look at you, you don’t have enough money to even buy milk. And the devil says, “that’s what you get for being faithful to God!”
Joseph could not have understood why his own brothers sold him as a slave. He could not have understood why he was in jail. After all, he has done everything right. Maybe you feel like you’re trapped in a prison of circumstance. You’re in such a mess and it doesn't make any sense.
May I share with you, there is nothing wrong with trying to understand. But, don't demand to understand, because there are some things that you will never understand.
ISAIAH 50:10
"WHO IS AMONG YOU THAT FEARS THE LORD, THAT OBEYS THE VOICE OF HIS SERVANT, THAT WALKS IN DARKNESS, AND HATH NO LIGHT? LET HIM TRUST IN THE NAME OF THE LORD, AND STAY UPON HIS GOD"
Notice how God describes the person in Isaiah 50:10:
I want you to notice 3 things from Isaiah 50:10.
1st - Isaiah 50:10 describes someone who "fears the LORD."
2nd – Isaiah 50:10 describes someone “obeys the Lord”.
But, watch this; 3rd - But, here is this same person who fears God and obeys God walking in darkness!!!
I would expect that if you fear God, and you are obeying the Lord, then you are going to be walking in the light.
The point is this; darkness can come to the Christian. I mean that the believer, who is doing everything right, can encounter difficulty and hardship.
Joseph was doing everything right, and darkness still came into his life.
Don't get the idea that everything is going to be all right, all happiness, total prosperity and perfect health because you’re obeying God and serving God. You can love God, and still walk in difficulties.
Now look at Isaiah 55:8-9
"8FOR MY THOUGHT ARE NOT YOUR THOUGHTS, NEITHER ARE YOUR WAYS MY WAYS, SAITH THE LORD. 9FOR AS THE HEAVENS ARE HIGHER THAN THE EARTH, SO ARE MY WAYS HIGHER THAN YOUR WAYS, AND MY THOUGHTS THAN YOUR THOUGHTS.
Now how high are the heavens above the earth? Can man measure the end of the solar system? No one has ever done it, and no one will ever do it.
9FOR AS THE HEAVENS ARE HIGHER THAN THE EARTH, SO ARE MY WAYS HIGHER THAN YOUR WAYS, AND MY THOUGHTS THAN YOUR THOUGHTS.
ILLUSTRATION - Do you remember reading in the Old Testament in the book of Numbers chapter 21, that snakes were killing biting and killing the children of Israel? (Numbers 21:4-9).
People were probably praying, God kill the snakes! But God did not kill the snakes. Instead God had Moses make a snake and told him to put it a pole. And whoever looked at the snake on a pole would not die. God’s ways are not our ways.
People may wondered, why doesn’t God just kill the devil. But God hasn’t killed the devil. Instead God placed his Son a cross and had his Son die on a cross for our sins. God ways are not our ways.
Now here is the point, if you find yourself in some difficulty that you don't understand, don't demand to understand.
8FOR MY THOUGHT ARE NOT YOUR THOUGHTS, NEITHER ARE YOUR WAYS MY WAYS, SAITH THE LORD.
You see, God sees the beginning and the end.
Now all that Joseph could see is the prison, but God could see that some day, Joseph would be in a palace. God knew that one day; Joseph would be the prime minister of Egypt. But Joseph couldn't see that. But God could. So what we need to do is to simply trust God. Don't demand to understand.
PRINCIPLE # 2 -- WHEN YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND, DON'T FAIL TO BE FAITHFUL.
GENESIS 39:21-23
Look at 3 verses of Scripture and see what Joseph is doing.
"21BUT THE LORD WAS WITH JOSEPH, AND SHOWED HIM MERCY, AND GAVE HIM FAVOR IN THE SIGHT OF THE KEEPER OF THE PRISON. 22AND THE KEEPER OF THE PRISON COMMITTED TO JOSEPH'S HAND ALL THE PRISONERS THAT WERE IN THE PRISON; AND WHATSOEVER THEY DID THERE, HE WAS THE DOER OF IT. 23THE KEEPER OF THE PRISON LOOKED NOT TO ANYTHING THAT WAS UNDER HIS HAND; BECAUSE THE LORD WAS WITH HIM, AND THAT WHICH HE DID, THE LORD MADE IT TO PROSPER"
Now what do these 3 verses tell us? They tell us that even though Joseph did not know why God allowed him to be in prison, he just kept on serving the Lord. He was sold as a slave, he was lied about, and he was put in prison. He didn't understand it, but there is one thing that he did know, he knew he was still going to serve the Lord.
In chapter 40, the butler and baker of Pharaoh are thrown into the same prison as Joseph. And guess who is in the prison to minister to them. Perhaps they said Joseph, "I don't understand. I tried hard to faithfully serve Pharaoh. And what do I get? He throws me in prison. Do you know what Joseph could do? He could say, "I understand what you’re talking about."
II CORINTHIANS 1:3-4
"3BLESSED BE GOD, EVEN THE FATHER OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, THE FATHER OF MERCIES, AND THE GOD OF ALL COMFORT, 4WHO COMFORTS US IN ALL OUR TRIBULATION, THAT WE MAY BE ABLE TO COMFORT THEM WHO ARE IN ANY TROUBLE, BY THE COMFORT WITH WHICH WE ARE COMFORTED OF GOD"
Do you know what 2nd Corinthians is telling us?
GOD IS TURING OUR MESSES INTO MESSAGES.
Listen to me – HURTING PEOPLE CAN EITHER HURT OTHERS, OR HELP OTHERS.
While Joseph did not understand why he was going through a storm. He could still be faithful.
Joseph could still serve God. Some Christians are fare weather Christians. They quite serving when the storm comes. They quit praising, then they quit tithing, and then they quit attending church.
YOU CAN TELL THE SIZE OF A CHRISTIAN BY WHAT IT TAKES TO STOP THEM
Are you one of those Christians who like to serve the Lord only when the sun is shinning? What do you do when nothing seems to make sense? What do you do when everything goes wrong? I'll tell you what you ought to do? Keep praising the Lord, keep tithing, and keep attending church. Keep trusting God.
THIRD -- DON'T TURN OR BURN INTO BITTERNESS. GENESIS 40:14-15
GENESIS 40:15
"FOR INDEED I WS STOLEN AWAY OUT OF THE LAND OF THE HEBREWS; AND HERE ALSO HAVE I DONE NOTHING THAT THEY SHOULD PUT ME INTO THE DUNGEON"
Joseph says, "It's not my fault that I'm here. I didn't do anything wrong. Now Joseph told the truth. But did you notice, that Joseph did not say one word against his brothers who sold him into slavery? He didn't even mention Potiphar's wife who is responsible for him being in prison. He just deals with the facts. But there is not one word of bitterness.
What would the average person do? The average person would say, "Let me tell you what that so and so did. That lousy, rotten brother of mine. But not Joseph.
Refuse to get bitter. Do you know why most people are bitter? Because somebody did them wrong. I'm speaking to some people here today, who feel they were cheated. I'm speaking to someone here who has been lied to. Someone here has been wronged! You have even been mistreated in church. And you are being eaten alive with bitterness.
FORGIVENESS DOES NOT LIVE IN THE PAST.
I PETER 2:20
"FOR WHAT GLORY IS IT IF, WHEN YOU ARE BUFFETED FOR YOUR FAULTS, YE SHALL TAKE IT PATIENTLY? BUT IF, WHEN YE DO WELL AND SUFFER FOR IT, YE TAKE IT PATIENTLY, THIS IS ACCEPTABLE WITH GOD"
HEBREWS 12:15
"LOOKING DILIGENTLY LEST ANY MAN FAIL OF THE GRACE OF GOD, LEST ANY ROOT OF BITTERNESS SPRINGING UP TROUBLE YOU, AND BY IT MAN BE DEFILED"
Is there someone here who is bitter? Only God can get the root of bitterness out. Do you know how God get the bitterness out? By having us forgive.
IF WE DO NOT FORGIVE THE PAST HURTS, THE PAST HURTS BECOME MY PRESENT HURTS
ILLUSTRATION: danelines.
That bitterness is not hurting the person your bitter about. That bitterness is hurting you. Has somebody done you a wrong? Just tell Jesus on them. He'll take care of it. When you don't understand, and you have done right, don't turn to bitterness.
FOUR -- DON'T TRY TO RUSH GOD.
Joseph was 17 years old when he was sold into slavery (Genesis 37:1). And he was 30 years old when he first stood before Pharaoh. Thirteen years pass before Joseph is set free. His father believes he is dead (Genesis 37:31-33). More than likely his brothers have forgotten him. But God hasn't forgotten him. And God was not late. God brought Joseph out of his problems at precisely the right time.
Let God be God. Don't try to rush God.
I PETER 5:6
"HUMBLE YOURSELVES, THEREFORE , UNDER THE MIGHTY HAND OF GOD, THAT HE MAY EXALT YOU IN DUE TIME"
The Bible says of Jesus Christ
GALATIANS 4:4
"WHEN THE FULLNESS OF TIME WAS COME, GOD SENT FORTH HIS SON"
God is never ahead of time, and God is never a second late. The Bible says in:
ISAIAH 40:31
"THEY THAT SHALL WAIT UPON THE LORD, SHALL RENEW THEIR STRENGTH"
God can turn you midnight into a sunrise.