Could things get any worse? Part II

None of us can say our lives have gone exactly as planned. We started with Plan A, but that evolved into Plan B or C. Some of us are on Plan Q.

 

Money troubles are not something we write into our plans, but most of us have experienced them anyway. According to statistics, financial stress is the number one cause of divorce, so we know tight funds are common among us. The question is, how do we handle them? How long does it take for us to bring God into the equation? And as we share our dilemmas with him, are we able to wait with patience when he doesn’t do anything?

 

When Nate and I were at our low point financially with seven children in the house, we were concentrating on praying hard over money issues and even fasting now and then to add power to those prayers. Right then things got much worse. We had a major flood from an upstairs toilet (yesterday’s blog) resulting in extensive damage. When we sought God’s explanation, he didn’t give one. (I’ve learned since then that God never has to explain himself. Just read the book of Job.)

One year after our flood, however, we were looking at two completely remodeled bathrooms with brand new ceramic tile floors (around the tubs, too). The walls and ceiling had been repaired, and the old fluorescent tubes had been replaced with recessed lighting. Homeowner’s insurance had paid for all of it at a time when refurbishing our well-used house would have been impossible.

 

A few years later, when we put the house on the market, the old, tired bathrooms had already been brought up to date without our having to pay for it. Although God wasn’t required to explain himself, these circumstances did it for him. And finally we understood.

 

God had, indeed, answered our prayers. It wasn’t as we’d expected, but isn’t that just like God? He’s unpredictable and virtually never responds to our requests by shaping circumstances as we’ve envisioned them. That’s because his ideas are always better than ours, and he knows what we need better than we do.

 

Looking back over the years, I’ve noticed a pattern. During periods of great need, when I’ve spent weeks praying with deep fervency, each situation got worse before it got better. It was as if God was in the process of stepping in to help at the same time that the devil was working hard to thwart him. Satan causes chaos, but God overrides that with order.

 

In other words, when we’ve asked God to rescue us and immediately thereafter life falls apart, we should get excited! The turmoil around us is a sure sign that God is about to do something brilliant!

 

“The Lord says, ‘Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing!’ ” (Isaiah 43:18,19a)

6 thoughts on “Could things get any worse? Part II

  1. Yea, what does it say in My Utmost for His Highest? Something like, Jesus sometimes wrecks a life before He restores it.
    Great blog, Mom. From the picture, I thought you might have replaced your casino carpet with that tile..

  2. Hi Margaret,
    It does seem God is out of the picture when things don’t go my way- good thing they don’t in the long run since my vision is so myopic.
    I remember reading in The Hiding Place so long ago, but it still impact me deeply, Corrie writing of these nagging fleas and essentially crying out, this misery as well Lord? Her sister Betsy figured out they were the very thing that kept the German guards away allowing the women in the barrack to meet together for Bible study. Satan probably sent those fleas, but God used them for good.
    I think it was Beth Moore who made the observation that during Passion Week when from a human perspective everything was quickly going south, more prophecy was being fulfilled than any other time in human history. Just as Satan thought he was getting the upper hand through Judas and the Roman and Jewish leaders, they were unwittingly playing right into His hand.
    All the times Satan wants to sift us like wheat, through whatever circumstance, the Lord Himself is praying for us and turns it so that the thing becomes a platform to praise Him and strengthen others.
    Look at how an overflowing toilet gives all of us readers confidence that the Alpha is also the Omega and is right there in our befuddled middles.
    Thanks for sharing a great story of God’s providence.
    Love,
    Terry

  3. Loved this one too. Thanks again for always sharing an experience that can help us all to get excited about our problems. Real good one Margaret.

  4. I absolutely LOVE these bluish ceramic tiles. Can you tell me how to go about getting them? I do not want anything else but these. HELP! I will appreciate anything you can do so I can have these beautiful tiles! Can you email me and let me know if you can help me, Please?