Session 27

Feel like you’re stuck in a difficult situation?

From Jeremiah: A 33-Day Devotional

We’ve all had a boss we couldn’t stand and jobs we barely survived. For some, it was a rough family to grow up in or a person above you who felt more like an enemy than a leader.

No matter what stage of life we’re in, we’re under different forms of authority. There may be times when we are working under extreme conditions and it’s difficult to believe that God’s hand is on the situation.

The Israelites must have felt God had abandoned them when He subjected them to the Babylonian empire. With love and concern, the prophet Jeremiah told the people it was better to be obedient to God and subject themselves to the rule of King Nebuchadnezzar temporarily than to be disobedient and subject themselves to God’s wrath.

From our human perspective, difficult circumstances like working under a harsh boss or feeling stuck in a season of life are far from ideal. But when we learn to trust God’s perspective, we begin to see He’s led us to a place for now but does not abandon us there forever.

God strategically allows us to be in situations that help us trust Him more and take our next steps with Him we wouldn’t otherwise take. Some authority figures or difficult seasons we’re in may be the very things that force us to deal with a sin problem we’ve had. We may learn something that prepares us for a future job or relationship. Though we’re in less than ideal places, God can use them to help us grow.

God promises that He won’t leave His people in that situation forever, but He will bring them to a better place (Jeremiah 27:22).

Reflect

• What authority figures in your life are you having a tough time with?
• What have you learned during a less than ideal season in your life?
• Who can you encourage today with the message that God does not abandon us in our difficult circumstances?