The Muddle of Misfortune

Introduction

Many years ago Helmut Thielicke, a well-known German pastor and theologian, toured America. When asked what he saw as the greatest defect among American Christians, he replied, “They have an inadequate view of suffering.”[i]

That statement still rings true today. One of the greatest needs in today’s churches and culture is for us to learn how to deal with the muddle of misfortune when it occurs. As James Russell Lowell, the great New England poet and scholar, once said, “[Misfortunes] are like knives that either serve us or cut us as we grasp them by the blade or the handle.”[ii]

Some members of the evangelical community and even some preachers suggest Christians will not have misfortune, that somehow our faith will isolate us from the hard knocks of life; however, the Word of God never makes that claim. Instead, we see continual struggle and horrific tragedy and pain in the lives of so many of God’s servants mentioned in the Bible.

The presence of misfortune is clear in the life of Joseph. He was a man who loved God and believed in God and lived for God. Yet life treated him unfairly. He was a good man, but he was incessantly beleaguered with problems. As we examine Joseph’s life, perhaps we can use him as a model for answering this question: How should we deal with the muddle of misfortune? Joseph’s example suggests the following six steps.

I. Recognize We Are Not Alone

To deal successfully with misfortune, we must first recognize we are not alone. Misfortune occurs in the life of every person at one time or another. It is a common experience of life.

Ponder for a moment all the problems Joseph had. One day he had the world by the tail. The next day he was on his way to Egypt in bondage. One moment he was the fair-haired son of a well-to-do farmer with bright hopes and high ambitions for a blissful and abounding future. The next moment he was a slave.

As a slave, Joseph worked his way up to a position of leadership, only to have the props knocked out from under him again because of the vengefulness and fraudulence of Potiphar’s wife.

Joseph was a godly man who nevertheless knew firsthand about the muddle of misfortune. When we hear the Bible repeatedly say, “The Lord was with Joseph,” we realize that even during trials, God was with him. Joseph was never alone.

As we go through life, we too can be sure things will sometimes go wrong. We are going to experience affliction. As Augustine once put it, “God had one son on earth without sin; He never had any without suffering.”[iii]

Therefore, the first step to take when life slaps us in the face is to recognize that we have not been singled out by the fates nor has God abandoned us. We have simply come face-to-face with the universal experience of life. Since sin entered the world through Adam, misfortune of one kind or another comes to all of us. But through it all, we are never alone.

II. Remember Our Immediate Assessment Is Incomplete

We must also remember that our immediate assessment of a situation is not always accurate or complete. This was true of Joseph. In the pit where his brothers had thrown him, his immediate assessment of the situation was probably something like this: Why is God letting this happen?

He was sold into slavery. He had been the favored son, able to do as he pleased. Now he had to yield to the commands of a foreign master. As he walked along, coughing from the dust stirred up by the camels, he may have thought, I must have done something to displease God. That’s why this is happening.

The wife of Potiphar framed him because he would not give in to her advances, and he was thrown into jail. Prison conditions in that day were beyond our wildest imagination. Sitting in the dark dampness of the prison, Joseph’s assessment may have been something like this: Man, I thought the pit was bad. And I thought walking in the dust of the camels was bad. But this is the worst yet. Has God abandoned me?

At each point along the way, Joseph’s immediate assessment might have been based on the fear that he had failed God, that God had abandoned him. But consider his assessment of the situation years later when, as second in command in Egypt, he was able to deliver his family from starvation. Then, looking back over those dark desperate days, he was able to say, “But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life” (Genesis 45:5). Joseph’s initial assessment and his final conclusion were altogether different.

Amid our misfortune, we need to remember the immediate assessment of our circumstances is not always accurate or complete. Often in experiences that seem to be the worst, God is working to bring about the best. He promises to work all things together for good for those who love Him (see Romans 8:28).

III. Refuse To Give Up

Third, we need to refuse to lose hope or give up. I wonder what was going on in Joseph’s mind as he trudged behind the camels on the road from Dothan down into Egypt. Or again when he was tossed into jail for refusing the advances of Potiphar’s wife. He could have said to God, “So this is the way you run things. I do what you want me to do. I live the kind of life you want me to live, and this is what I get for it. Well, let me tell you I’m just going to quit. I’m through.”

Joseph could have easily given up and stopped trusting God, but one of the most amazing things in Joseph’s life is that even when circumstances continued to grow worse, he didn’t give up. No matter where he found himself, he was determined to make the best of it and continue serving God.

When the muddle of misfortune encompasses us, we too will be tempted to give up and live with anger and disappointment. And many people do. Some do this by blaming other people. It’s been said about one man, “He met misfortune like a man—he blamed it on his wife!” Some strike out at whoever happens to be nearby. Some blame God. They withdraw from Him and no longer live for Him.

But Joseph showed the type of unrelenting faith that refused to give up. When faced with adversity, we need to follow his example. We need to trust God and refuse to give up.

IV. Respond With An Optimistic Mind-Set

Fourth, we should respond to misfortune with an optimistic mind-set. This is the philosophy that says, “I have no problems in life. I only have opportunities.” Think of what has happened in the lives of those who have approached life in this way.

As a boy, Thomas Edison received a blow on his ear that severely damaged his hearing. What a misfortune! Yet, later he said that his deafness was a blessing for it saved him from distractions, allowing him to concentrate on his work. Out of that concentration came some of the great inventions of his day.

George Frederick Handel was at a low point in his life. His money was gone. His right side was paralyzed. His health was broken. For a brief time he was tempted to give up. But amid his despair, he did the only thing he knew do to—he began to write music. Out of that despair came a composition known as Handel’s Messiah, which includes the Hallelujah Chorus, a composition considered to be one of the greatest pieces of church music ever written.

The thread that ties the lives of Joseph, Edison, and Handel together is their refusal to be overcome by their problems. They saw their misfortune not as adversities that would crush them, but as opportunities to grow in ways that otherwise would not have been possible. They responded to their problems with an optimistic mind-set.

 V. Recall God’s Promises

A fifth step is to recall God’s promises. In Romans 8:18, Paul wrote, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”

A man who knew suffering wrote these words. More important, he knew God and he knew God’s promises. He knew God had promised a future for His people, and he found hope in the promises of God.

Whenever we find ourselves in darkness, we can keep going because we know there is light at the end of the tunnel. Whenever we face injustice, we can keep going because we know someday the issue will be resolved in the courtroom of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Whenever we are shaken by failure, we can keep going because we know our failures are not final. Whenever our lot in life makes us unhappy, we can keep going because we know that someday we will rejoice in heaven. Whatever we suffer now is nothing when compared with the glorious future God has promised us.

VI. Remain Faithful To The Task At Hand

Finally, we need to remain faithful to the task at hand. When the muddle of misfortune occurs in our personal lives and in our ministries, there are many things we do not understand. But this much we do know: God’s purpose for us remains the same. He wants us to so live that others might see our good works and glorify our Father who is in heaven (see Matthew 5:16).

When we someday walk into the presence of God, He will not want to hear about the failure that kept us from accomplishing anything in life. He will not want to hear about the misfortune that knocked us off our feet. He will not want us to tell Him about the unforeseen tragedy that struck us or the undeserved agony we experienced. He will simply want to know if we have been faithful to the task He set before us.

Conclusion

In looking back over his many trials, Joseph could be grateful for them. He saw how God had used all those adversities to bring good to him and all his family—and to save the lives of many people.

God’s Word tells of His unconditional love for us and His promise to work all things together for our good. As we face the muddle of misfortune, may we remember we are never alone … to trust God’s plan rather than what we see … to keep our eyes on Jesus and refuse to give up … to see the challenges as opportunities, not problems …  and to remain faithful to the task God has given us.

ENDNOTES:

[i] Phillip Yancey, Where Is God When It Hurts (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1990), 8.

[ii] “James Russell Lowell,” Quotations. Entplazaa: http://www.entplaza.com/quotes-poems/james-russell-lowell/ (October 13, 2010).

[iii] “Saint Augustine.” Best Quotes Poems: http://www.best-quotes-poems.com/Saint-Augustine.html (October 13, 2010).