On Monday, April 16th, Virginia Tech was rocked by the most murderous rampage on a college campus in our nation’s history. It began in the early morning hours when two students were killed in a dormitory. A short time later thirty more students and faculty were killed across campus. Then the shooter took his own life.
In the weeks that followed story after story about the victims appeared in the media. I assure you that not one of the victims, or their families, had an inkling of notion that April 16th would be their final day on earth. What happened at Virginia Tech was an unspeakable tragedy that graphically illustrates how quickly things in life can change. Sometimes one day to the next our life can be turned upside down in a way that can never be reversed.
I went through that kind of world-crumbling experience when our previous ministry unraveled in Wisconsin. Since then I’ve come to realize that most people have the rug pulled out from under them at least once or twice during their lives. Take, for example, a friend who worked for 17 years as an executive with a large company. One day his boss handed him a shoebox and he was told to clear out his desk. His position had been eliminated. He was escorted to his office and then he was escorted out the door. Despite working faithfully for 17 years, my friend was never allowed back at the company. In the blink of an eye his world had crumbled. Nothing was ever the same again.
I’ve had people sit in my office with tears streaming down their cheeks telling me their spouse had just left them for someone else. With no warning at all, a lifetime commitment was suddenly over. Life as they had known it had crumbled. It was gone. Over.
Well, how do we survive these times? Where does God fit in when everything caves in? These are the questions I want to explore today as we continue our series: when bad things happen to good people. Last week we talked about overcoming failure. This week I want to consider when our world crumbles.
Joseph is an Old Testament faith-hero. And he has much to teach us about thriving when our world crumbles. His story begins in Genesis 37. Joseph’s father was Jacob. Jacob had two wives and twelve sons. Jacob’s favorite wife was Rachel—but Rachel was barren for many years. The fact she couldn’t have children was a source of shame in that culture. So it was a special day when Rachel finally became pregnant. And after Joseph was born he became his father’s pet child. Favoritism is lethal in parenting. It was only a matter of time before Joseph’s brothers began to resent him. In fact, the Bible says they hated Joseph.
And Joseph didn’t help himself out. He was a tattle-tale. Joseph told his dad when his brothers were doing things they shouldn’t have been doing. And Joseph also had a special gift regarding dreams. Twice Joseph had dreams that he would rule over his older brothers. This, of course, only added fuel to the fire and Joseph’s brothers hated him even more. They couldn’t stand him. That’s where we pick up the story in Genesis 37:12-28. (Read)
Joseph’s life crumbled when he was sold into slavery. Think about all the things that changed the moment he was sold to the Ishmaelites:
• At 17 years of age he was ripped away from his family.
• He was thrown into a new culture with a new language.
• He felt the hate and rejection of his brothers.
• There was also the fear of the unknown. Joseph didn’t know what was going to happen to him.
• But there’s more. When Joseph became a slave he lost his freedom. The pampered favorite son now had to clean toilets and do dirty work.
• Also, think of how lonely Joseph would have been. He not only lost his family, but he lost his friends, his home, everything.
• Think about how many questions Joseph must have had about God. God, if you there, why is this happening to me? What’s going on? God, are you there?
Eventually, things settled down for Joseph. He was sold to an Egyptian captain named Potiphar. Somehow, Joseph adjusted to his new life and God began to prosper him. We read about this Genesis 39. Potiphar trusted Joseph and gave him the management of his entire estate. Then, by and by, Potiphar’s wife began to flirt with Joseph. (Read 39:6&7) She was blunt and to the point.
To his credit, Joseph resisted. But one day he was in the house working and the other servants were gone. Potiphar’s wife tried to make a move on Joseph. He ripped himself away and ran out of the house. Potiphar’s wife had been grabbing him and as Joseph ran he left his cloak, his tunic, in her hand. That left Potiphar’s wife with a problem. How was she going to explain having Joseph’s cloak? Well, she made up a story and said that Joseph had tried to rape her. When she screamed Joseph was frightened and ran away. That was a lie, of course, but it got her off the hook.
When Potiphar heard what happened he was furious and he threw Joseph in prison. Do you see what’s going on? For the second time in his life, Joseph had the rug pulled out from under him. One day he’s managing an Egyptian estate. The next day he’s in prison. Once again, Joseph’s life had crumbled. The Bible says Joseph was in prison for two full years. That was no picnic. Ancient prisons did not TVs, mattresses, or telephones. Joseph spent two years in a dark, damp, smelly cesspool. After two years Joseph was freed from prison and then he miraculously became the Prime Minister of Egypt. By this time, he was thirty years old. In other words, from the time he was sold by his brothers when he was 17 until he was 30 years old Joseph was either a slave or in prison. That’s a span of 13 years. That’s a long, long time.
Some time later, a severe famine hit the entire region. Joseph’s family then traveled to Egypt in search of food. Because Joseph was Prime Minister he was able to provide them with food. Eventually Joseph’s family moved to Egypt and Joseph continued to take care of them. We pick up the story in Genesis 50:15-21.
Joseph’s life is a textbook case for our topic. I want to point out four lessons we learn from him about how to cope when our world crumbles. #1 when our world crumbles…
1. We need to remember that God has a plan.
One of the amazing things about Joseph is that he looked beyond his immediate circumstances to see God’s larger plan. Yes his brothers had meant to harm him. But Joseph could see how God used that dark situation to further his divine purposes. Even though it had been tough, Joseph realized that God had always in control. Look again at Genesis 50:20. Joseph says, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”
In other words, God’s plan was not thwarted by evil. When Joseph was sold into slavery God wasn’t wringing his hands wondering what to do next. God is bigger than sin. He’s bigger than evil. He’s sovereign. He’s ultimately in control. He’s never surprised. Ever! When our world crumbles we need to remember that God still has a plan. And Joseph reminds us that God’s plan is not always easy. Sometimes God’s plan for our lives includes a great deal of pain. It did for Joseph. Think about how many disappointments Joseph had; how many heartaches he had; how many people let him down; how many people hurt him. God’s plan for Joseph involved great pain, but everything that happened to Joseph had first been filtered through God’s loving hands.
We make a grave mistake if we think God’s major goal is to make us happy. That’s not his ultimate goal. God’s goal according to Romans 8:29 is that we would be conformed to the likeness of Jesus Christ. That’s what God’s grand plan is all about. He wants you and me to become like Jesus Christ. And often, very often, very, very often, God will use pain as a part of that shaping process.
When Joseph understood God’s greater plan he was able to put in perspective the bumps he experienced along the way. Joseph saw that God wanted to use him to save his family from the famine. God sent Joseph ahead of his family—as a slave—to get things ready for them. Looking back at the times his life had crumbled, Joseph could see God’s larger purposes being worked out.
But let me warn you. When our lives crumble we won’t always understand what God is doing. Sometimes when we look back, like Joseph, we can see what God was up to. When I look back at the painful time leaving my previous ministry I realize now that I never would have left if it had been any easier. I was there for life. But now when I see what God is doing at Summit, I understand more about God’s larger plan for my life and for his kingdom.
But that doesn’t always happen. We don’t always find out in this life what God is up to. For example, as far as we know from Scripture, Job never understood why he lost his wealth, his children and his health. We know from reading the Bible that God was using Job’s unwavering faith as a testimony to Satan. But Job never found that out. In his case he just had to trust that God knew what he was doing.
So there may be times when our lives crumble that we won’t know the whys. But God is still in control. Thus, the first principle we learn from Joseph is that when our world crumbles we need to remember that God still has a plan. A second principle is…
2. We need to draw near to God.
When life gets tough usually one of two things happen: People either draw closer to God or they end up rejecting him altogether. Joseph is no exception. His life was ripped apart more than most of us will ever experience. And he had a choice. He could have grown angry toward God. Joseph could have hardened his heart and thumbed his nose at God. But he didn’t. In the midst of all his heartache, Joseph chose to draw near to God. We know this for several of reasons. For example, when he was a slave Potiphar saw Joseph’s walk with the Lord. The Bible says when Potiphar saw that the Lord was with Joseph he entrusted him with running his household. In other words, when people observed Joseph they saw the Lord because Joseph had drawn near to God.
We can make that choice, too. To draw near to God when your life crumbles, let me suggest taking a soaking bath in God’s Word. Do you know what a soaking bath is? It’s not just a quick sprint into the tub. A soaking bath takes some time. It’s not rushed. In fact when you take a soaking bath you may have to add water half way through to warm the tub again. One of the best ways to draw near to God is by spending time in his Word: reading the Bible, pondering it, wandering through its pages, meditating on it. One thing that often happens when our lives crumble is that we suddenly have extra time on our hands. Something that used to keep us busy is no longer part of our lives. I’m suggesting you take that extra time and soak in the Scriptures. Don’t just read a verse here and there! Drink in large portions of the Word. It will give you perspective. It will help you to draw you closer to the Lord; give you guidance, hope and strength. Thus, the second principle we learn from Joseph is to draw near to God.
A third principle is that….
3. We need to release the past and embrace the future.
One of the hardest things about having our lives fall apart is letting go of the expectations and dreams that we’ve had. It’s natural to have dreams, hopes and expectations. We need them to live. They give us motivation and energy. But when we have the rug pulled out from under us sometimes it’s hard to let go of dreams that will never be. It’s an axiom of life that we can’t go back in time. We can’t change the past even though we may try. After my ministry debacle in Wisconsin, I found myself rehearsing the situation trying to make things turn out differently. I was pedaling furiously on an endless wheel of regurgitating scenarios.
Change is always hard, especially unwanted or unexpected change. After it happens we can get submerged in a hazy world of unbelief. We keep looking back, hoping against hope that we’ll wake up from the bad dream and life will be normal again. Yet until we stop looking back we’ll never embrace God’s new plan for the future. Part of the healing process when life crumbles includes letting go of what could have been in order to accept what actually will be.
Joseph mastered this lesson. Each time his life crumbled he let go of his earlier expectations and embraced the new life God was placing in front of him. But it’s scary letting go, isn’t it? The past is familiar. We have our scenarios all worked out. And it’s scary to let go of the past especially when it may not be clear what’s up ahead.
God has often used Jeremiah 29:11 to give me strength during the transitional time as I let go of past dreams before embracing new dreams. “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Would you repeat that out lour with me?
Let me share one example of how this verse helped my family. It was difficult for us to move back to the United States after spending ten years in Chile. We had an abundant life on the mission field. God was blessing the work. Then, out of left field, God directed us to return to the states to pastor a church. It was hard for all of us, but especially for Rachel. She was 12 years old at the time and most of her life had been spent in Chile.
One thing that made it especially difficult was that we did not know exactly where God was calling us. We only knew that the dreams we had for Chile were now over and God was going to give us new dreams somewhere else. We often repeated Jeremiah 29:11 as a family. One night as I was tucking Rachel into bed, she looked up at me with her beautiful blue eyes and the lights went on. “Daddy God has plans for us, doesn’t he? Good plans. He’s going to take us to a special place and use us. Right?” I smiled from ear to ear. “That’s right, sweetheart. That’s exactly right.”
In that precious moment, Rachel understood what we also see in Joseph’s life. When our world crumbles we need to let go of the past so that we can embrace the new future. And, rest assured, as long as we walk with Jesus, the new future he has for us will always be good.
We can learn one more very important principle from Joseph. When our world crumbles…
4. We need to forgive those who have hurt us.
Look again at 50:17. Why do you suppose Joseph wept when his brothers said this? I believe he wept because he couldn’t believe his brothers were still carrying the guilt for what they had done. Long ago Joseph had already forgiven his brothers. Joseph was a free man. He harbored no bitterness. No anger. He was free because he had forgiven those who had hurt him. When life crumbles usually other people are involved and it can often lead to finger pointing and bitterness. But for genuine healing to occur, we need to forgive the people who may have wounded us. Forgiveness is not optional. Hebrews 12:15 spells out the consequences if we fail to forgive. “See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.” If we allow a root of bitterness to take hold in our lives, people around us will be hurt. A bitter root will always produce bitter fruit. Until we forgive those who’ve hurt us, we’ll never be completely free from the past.
And we need to forgive even if the other party never recognizes the injustice they’ve done. Our act of forgiving has nothing to do with what the offending person does. Whether or not they apologize, we need to forgive them to free ourselves from any root of bitterness.
Thus, we learn from Joseph four principles that will help you the next time your world crumbles…
1. Remember that God has a plan.
2. Draw near to God.
3. Let go of the past and embrace the future.
4. Forgive those who may have hurt you.
In closing, I’d like to share a letter which captures these things really well. The letter was written by my daughter Christina on the one-year anniversary of our moving to Nevada. Mind you, we moved when Christina was between her junior and senior year of high school. I can’t imagine a worse time, humanly speaking, to move. She went from being the belle of her high school in Wisconsin to being thrust into anonymity in the over crowded halls of Reed High School. Instead of her senior year being the capstone of a stellar high school career it was more like a tombstone.
After we were here one year, our family had a time of worship together to thank God for what he’d done in the previous 12 painful months. We all wrote letters to God which we shared with each other. This is what Christina wrote. She was just 17 years old at the time.
Dear Jesus,
I look back and I am so grateful it is July of 1999 and not July of 1998. For that was a time of immeasurable pain in my life. But I’m glad I’m at the point where I can look back on this year and see all that you have taught me. I wouldn’t go back and do it over again if I had the chance because it was too painful. But I look at it as a necessary year.
You knew I needed time away from all my comforts, friends and familiarities. You had so many lessons to teach me and you knew the only way I would learn is if you took away from me what I considered “the most important things in my life.”
• You taught me a great deal about humility.
• You taught me how to accept myself as a child of God, not someone who had to be surrounded by friends.
• You taught me how within my family I have the greatest friends I could ever possibly imagine.
• You taught me to look out for the “new kid” or the one feeling left out. I never did that before.
• You taught me how to establish a personal relationship with you. Not one that depends on my friends.
• You taught me to be content where I am. To enjoy living in your will and being different for you.
• I’ve learned to become more bold for you and to stand strong when temptations arise.
The list could go on and on. But I just wanted to thank you for loving me enough that you would be willing to cause all the pain of moving to teach me these wonderful lessons. I would have never learned these things any other way.
I love you, Jesus.
Christina
