Where Is God in My Mess?Sample

# The Double Blessing I will give you hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, who summons you by name. -Isaiah 45:3 NIV I often say that I am a living, breathing example of God’s grace—I’m proof that He can take someone whose life is broken, then heal them and use them to help others. As a child, I was sexually abused by my father on a regular basis. This went on for many, many years. It was a horrible experience, to say the least. The house in which I grew up was filled with fear, and my father was controlling and just plain mean. He was physically abusive to my mother, and he basically ignored my brother except to curse at him when he was angry. We don’t always understand why God doesn’t deliver us from hard situations, but He always has a reason for His decisions, even when we can’t see it. Again, God doesn’t cause suffering, but He will use it for our benefit as we trust in Him. All these years later, I am so incredibly grateful for the ways God has taken the difficulties I endured and turned them for good. Honestly, if I hadn’t gone through those things, I wouldn’t be the person I am today…and I wouldn’t be able to help others walk through the healing process. Isaiah 61:7 includes an incredible promise for all those who have suffered or found themselves in a mess. It says, Instead of your shame you will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace you will rejoice in your inheritance. And so you will inherit a double portion in your land, and everlasting joy will be yours (NIV). I love this! Even when our circumstances aren’t good, God wants us to believe that He can do something good for us. In fact, He wants us to believe that He can somehow make our lives even better (give us double) than they would have been had we not gone through the trial. Our part is to hope. When we have hope, we live with the expectation that God will do something great. Hope is a powerful motivator. Anyone can have hope if they want to. All you need to do is expect (believe) that something good may happen to you at any time. If you have trouble being hopeful, start by saying aloud several times a day, “Something good is going to happen to me, because God is good!” You will find that the more you speak this and meditate on it in your thinking, the more you will believe it. By doing this, you are renewing your mind (see Romans 12:2). The story of Job is another great example. It seems that nobody in the world ever had it as bad as “poor ol’ Job,” who experienced calamity after calamity, but God gave him double for his former trouble (see Job 1:13–19; 2:7–9). Job 42:10 (NIV) says, After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before. The Lord gave Job double after he prayed for his friends who had treated him badly. Job needed them to comfort him, but instead they blamed him for his problems. From this story, we can see that anyone who wants the double blessing can’t have it with unforgiveness in their heart. I had to forgive my dad, and you also will have to forgive anyone you have anything against if you want to be blessed. To experience blessing in the midst of your mess, you may need to make some decisions and take some actions that won’t be easy. This includes keeping a good attitude during trouble, being thankful when there doesn’t seem to be anything to be thankful for, and forgiving people who don’t deserve to be forgiven or who have abused, hurt, or abandoned you. The adjustments you may need to make will come in various forms and in many situations, but the double blessing will be worth them all. You may not be able to see it now, but God wants to take what you’re going through and use it for your good. #### Adapted from the book Blessed in the Mess by Joyce Meyer. Copyright 2023 by Joyce Meyer. Published by Hachette Book Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Prayer: “Dear Lord, help me to forgive those who have wronged me and help me to trust that even in my darkest days, You are right there with me. Let me have faith that even in the most difficult situations, You have a plan for me and You can give me a double blessing for the things I’ve gone through. I choose to believe that something good is going to happen to me today and every day! In Jesus’ name, amen.”