Following God’s clear direction does not always lead to a good outcome from our perspective, at least at first.
Sometimes his guidance leads us to arid deserts rather than to green pastures and still waters. These destinations can diminish our trust in him.
If we find ourselves in distress after obediently following God’s clear direction, we need to remember the following five things:
- Our suffering is not evidence of God’s inadequacy, negligence, or churlishness. Instead, it is the downside of living in a fallen world.
- God knew we would face this. Therefore, we can be confident he has made preparations for us.
- God sympathizes with our pain and is ready to help us endure it.
- God intends to use this affliction to produce goodness in and through us.
- God will resolve our situation as he deems best, and we can trust that appraisal.
When we encounter difficulties after following God’s clear lead, we should persevere as long as possible and do everything we can to achieve a positive outcome.
God may clear a direct path through the present difficulty. He may reveal an alternative route to our original destination. If we hit a dead end, he may open a side door to a new opportunity we did not know existed.
But if our distress ends in disaster, we must remember that God knows what he is doing. We must trust that he will help us endure the resulting pain and use our misfortune to produce goodness in us and in those within our circle of influence.
