Why Is Everything Going Against Me?
“Everything is going against me!” [Genesis 42:36]
There was a season in my life where everything seemed to be going against me. We’d just moved to Dallas from the Washington DC area and had not met many people. Having been recently promoted and now leading an office, work was especially stressful as I attempted to learn the nuances of a new office and personnel. We were accustomed to being involved in church, but the church we started attending in Dallas was a mega-church with multiple weekend services and multiple campuses. Seeing the same people every weekend just didn’t happen.
Only a few short months had elapsed and things were not getting any better, when my mother decided to visit us. We couldn’t wait for her arrival as we knew it would be full of fun times and precious memories. The visit was the best ever until she feel in our newly built house, one hour before she was to return to her home in Arkansas! An ambulance ride to the ER confirmed what the first responders told us—a fractured hip. We faced surgery, a week in the hospital, devastating effects from painkillers, and countless hours at the hospital. Little did we know, the worst was yet to come! Two weeks later, while my mom recovered in a rehab facility, she suffered a series of strokes simultaneously. These events brought her back to the original hospital, but this time in ICU. The outlook was bleak! What was happening? Why was everything going against me? My mom was the last living person from my immediate family. Was I about to lose her, too? The questions poured from my lips.
What about you? Ever experienced a time when everything or everyone seemed to be against you?
Jacob is experiencing a season in life where everything appears to be against him. He has been told his favorite son died (see last week’s post). Now, through a series of events beyond his control, he is on the brink of losing more sons. He is devastated. As Jacob talks to his remaining sons, he exclaims, “Everything is against me!” Can you blame him?
However, if we continue reading the story until its conclusion, we discover what Jacob learned during this season! Jacob’s “everything is against me” set of circumstances was actually being turned to good and for his benefit! He did not lose any of his sons as all of them were alive! His family was restored! Jacob’s setbacks were actually God’s set-ups!
May I encourage you that God never wastes a hurt, disappointment, seemingly bad circumstances, or detours in life. Actually, His “detour” might just be a divine setup!
Is everything against you?
