SETBACKS CAN BE DIVINE SET-UPS
[4 minute read]
ARE YOU ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE who analyze things to death? Or do you over-intellectualize every experience to avoid facing your own vulnerability? Both are defense mechanisms that will get you stuck, especially when you face setbacks. Instead of taking refuge in Jesus as your resurrected Saviour, you retreat to the voice of human reasoning and response.
Let's not forget that God is an expert in divine set-ups, especially when everything appears more like setbacks. Christ’s crucifixion is a classic example: by all appearances, the promise of a saviour for the Israelites seemed doomed as a decisive failure. Afterall, Jesus’ arrest, the horrific public flogging He suffered and His humiliating death could hardly be what promises were made of. But the severity of these setbacks did not and could not stop the miracle of Christ’s resurrection on day three after His crucifixion. When it looked like the Enemy had succeeded, when it seemed like failure wrote the final chapter, when it appeared as though hope had been defeated - they all played into God’s hands for a mind-blowing finale that sealed His salvation for all of mankind!
Today, it could be a breakup with someone who promised a future with you, or the sadness of losing the home you thought you would spend the rest of your life in as you hand the keys to its new owner, or seeing your golden years tarnish as you battle a series of health issues all alone. Humanly speaking, it may seem easier to succumb to the gravitational pull of despair than to rise to the spiritual pull of divine hope.
We read in Genesis 50:15-21 of how Joseph also experienced one setback after another, beginning from the time his brothers colluded to sell him into slavery. But in spite of the less than desirable situations he found himself in, without fail, he rose above adverse circumstances with the distinction and leadership that God promised him. Through his life, Joseph showed us the importance of not allowing setbacks to destabilize our future and hinder what God wants to accomplish in and through us. In order to do this, we need to resolve to do three things:
KNOW GOD FOR WHO HE IS
“The Lord was with him” are words often used in Joseph’s biography. Knowing that someone has our back makes all the difference to one ploughing through uncertainties and overcoming hardships because we don’t feel so alone. At the same time, knowing that God has our back enables us to be the bigger person in any situations all the time. Instead of participating in malicious backbiting to publicize mistreatments he experienced, Joseph focused on what was important to God.
As a result, he found favour wherever he ended up - from palace to prison - and God blessed him with success in whatever he did. At the age of 30, he was made a prime minister of Egypt! This shows us that our success is not determined by how our bosses treat us, or how nurturing or negative the workplace culture is. (Who won’t excel in favourable conditions?) Rather, we have the God-given ability to pursue meaning and sparkle even in the most humbling positions.
GUARD YOUR HEART AND MIND
If Joseph did not guard his heart and mind against the onslaught of speculations about people’s intents and schemes to get even, he’d be wasting his whole life devising vengeful payback against his brothers for what they did to ruin him.
Instead, from prison to public office, he held up exemplary behaviour in every role and carried his roles and responsibilities with exceptional integrity. If Joseph’s heart had been set on vindictiveness, if he had been obsessed with regaining his lost entitlements, if he had been consumed with bitterness against his brothers, he would not have found the tenacity and resolve needed to maintain his integrity in the face of numerous setbacks. When his brothers had feared and imagined every kind of malice they deserved from him, he delivered only kindness to them.
GOD MUST BE GIVEN ALL GLORY
From young, Joseph was promised exceptional blessings. Genesis 49:26b describes his blessing as such: “Let all these rest on the head of Joseph, on the brow of the prince among his brothers.” He took a place of elevated pride and joy in his father’s heart. Yet, he remained grounded and realistic about his abilities and inadequacies.
When approached to interpret dreams for Pharoah, he admitted, “I cannot do it…but GOD will give Pharoah the answer he desires.” This is very different from asking God, in private, for the ability to do something and then publicly taking personal credit for it. Oh sure, we add in the words ‘thank God’ but more as an exclamation than an exaltation.
In all, do not let setbacks set you back to a standstill. Don’t even resort to believing in ‘fate’ as a force on its own. But let setbacks turn on their heads as you let the Holy Spirit show you God’s divine setups to accomplish His destiny, plans and purpose for your life.
This is a summary and reflection based on a virtual BIR Session held on 24 July 2022.
