It's Not Fair!!!

Has it ever felt like you’re not going anywhere? As though the more progress you make, the more you lose? You are living the colloquialism “Two steps forward, three steps back.” Why?

I pondered the same question the past couple of days. Here I am, making some very good progress in rebuilding my health: diligently following my medical plan, taking great caution not to over exert myself, monitoring my levels of strength to ensure a “gaining/improving” trend, all the while praising the Lord every step of the way. Yet, despite all of my health-conscious efforts, I randomly contracted a severe case of the stomach flu and within 48 hours, I lost it all. My strength, my stamina, the little progress I had made, erased as if it had never been. “Lord!" I cried out, "Why? Months and months of diligence, of care, of patience…for nothing! It doesn’t seem fair! I was even praising You for those little victories that I was making! You were the reason for my progress! And now…gone! IT’S ALL GONE! What gives?!"

I’m sure you’ve been there. You’re doing so well serving the Lord. He’s delivered you out of countless messes and situations. He’s leading you, guiding you, and you’ve praised and glorified Him all along the way throughout the process. Then suddenly, everything takes a dramatic shift backwards with the interruption of that one phone call, the receipt of that one email, the emergence of that one thing, which completely turns your whole world up-side down and you are mercilessly thrust back to "Ground Zero". Why does a “Good God” allow disappointments like this to happen? Look at what He says in His Word:

“For the just man falleth seven times, and rises up again.” (Prov. 24:16) “Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with His hand.” (Ps. 37:24)

The just man falls; there’s no escaping that fact. We will fall; disappointments will happen. But God promises that we will rise again. How? He holds us up with His hand. Think about that!
With every fall, the Lord promises a resurrection. In that process of falling and rising, we have the opportunity to be lifted up by God’s hand. Not by the hand of just anyone, but by the hand of the Awesome, All Mighty, Creator, Ever-Lasting, Eternal, Most High GOD! A God Who loves His children; that's you and me! A God Who works all things out for our good because we love Him and He has called us according to His purposes! (ref. Rom. 8:28) A God Who promises to rescue us in six troubles, and in seven not allow evil to touch us! (ref. Job 5:19); meaning that whatever Satan meant for our harm, God will turn it around for our good! (ref. Gen. 50:20)

Yes, it’s disappointing when all of our hard work seems to have been in vain. But we can rejoice because our labor in the Lord is not in vain. (1 Cor. 15: 58) He is our Great Reward (Gen. 15:1) and He rewards all those who diligently seek Him. (Heb. 11:6). Press on Beloved. It didn’t turn out the way you wanted it to, but God’s not done yet! He who began a good work in you will complete it. (Phil. 1:6) He is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End! (Rev. 21:6)

“Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me.”(Mic. 7:8)