In 1 Peter 4:19 I read, “If you are suffering in a manner that pleases God, keep on doing what is right, and trust your lives to the God who created you, for he will never fail you.” (NLT)
Everywhere in God's Word I’m counseled to trust Him. Trust works by overcoming fear, so that whatever mess I'm in, my heavenly father will lead me. Trust helps overcome depression. No matter how overwhelming the situation is or how it makes me feel, God can draw me back to the light. Trust also helps me overcome hate. I can hate forever or I can trust God, but I cannot do both. God is there to steady even the worst situation, always with a promise and always with a hope. I should continue to commit my life to him for safekeeping and rely on him when I face my worst circumstances.
Before everything in photography went digital, you took a picture, and the first thing I’d get was a negative. Then you would take the negative and have it developed into a positive by going into a darkroom and shining a light through it onto photographic paper. This turned the negative into a positive, full-color photograph.
That’s what God wants to do with the injustices in my life. People have mistreated me. They’ve passed me over. They’ve taken advantage of me. God wants to take all the negatives, shine the light of Jesus through them, and turn them into positives, a full-color picture of the life we were made to live.
The Bible says, “If you are suffering in a manner that pleases God, keep on doing what is right, and trust your lives to the God who created you, for he will never fail you” (1 Peter 4:19 NLT). The most important thing I can remember when I’ve been treated unfairly is that Jesus is on my side.
Throughout Scripture, God shows special care for people who are treated unfairly. He is a God of justice. He hears my cry, sees my pain, and knows my hurt. I didn’t get what I thought I deserved. But God has a plan for my pain.
When I shine the light of God’s love through my circumstances, he can turn my pain into a beautiful picture. He develops my character through it. He makes me stronger. Most importantly, he uses my pain.
I’ll never get an explanation for much of the pain I endure in this life. When I get to heaven, I may understand more about why bad things happened to me. But God does not owe me an explanation for it.
But here’s the good news: I don’t need an explanation. I just need to know that God loves me. He has a plan for me. God will settle the score with whoever hurt me.
God never wastes a hurt. Welcome the light of the Gospel into it and God will use my hurt, the very real injustice that has happened to me, to create a beautiful picture through my life.
In summary, If I'm suffering in a manner that pleases God, I am to keep on doing what is right, and trust my life to Him who created me, for he will never fail me. In his Word I’m counseled quite a bit to trust Him. Trust works by overcoming fear, for my heavenly father will lead me. Trust helps overcome depression. God can draw me back to the light. Trust also helps me overcome hate. I can hate forever or I can trust God, but I cannot do both. So, commit my life to him for safekeeping and rely on him when I face my worst circumstances. God wants to take all the negatives, shine the light of Jesus through them, and turn them into positives, The most important thing I can remember when I’ve been treated unfairly is that Jesus is on my side. He is a God of justice. He hears my cry, sees my pain, and knows my hurt. I didn’t get what I thought I deserved. But God has a plan for my pain. He develops my character through it. He makes me stronger. Most importantly, he uses my pain. I’ll never get an explanation for much of the pain I endure. God does not owe me an explanation. I don’t need an explanation. I just need to know that God loves me. He has a plan for me. God will settle the score with whoever hurt me. God never wastes a hurt. Welcome the light of the Gospel into it and God will use my hurt, to create a beautiful picture through my life.
Father, with what I have experienced in my current job situation, injustices, mistreatment and being passed over. I need to focus on and trust you. You are building my character and if I allow it, shining Jesus through my life. With help from the Holy Spirit I ask to be reminded of this, when I feel depressed or when hate crops up in my life. I pray also for wisdom and guidance for today, as I take time off and search for a new job opportunity. I pray this in Jesus’ name, amen.
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