DAY 3: Setbacks (Part 1)

Transitions often seem like setbacks, but God uses them to set us up. When you finally get the news that you will be one those who has to leave the company because of down-sizing, the first reaction is always one of despair. You wish you could say that you were full of faith and believed God was chosing one door so he could open another one. But the truth is you will be scared and confused.

But sometimes God closes a door so that He can move you into what He has planned for you. What seemed like a setback may actually be God setting you up for something better.

2 Samuel 23 tells the story of one of David's mighty men. Verse 20 says, "Benaiah was a valiant fighter from Kabzeel, who performed great exploits. He struck down two Moab's best men. He went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion. And he struck down a huge Egyptian. Although the Egyptian had a spear in his hand, Benaiah went against him with a club. He snatched the spear from the Egyptian's hand and killed him with his own spear.

If you are in a pit with a lion on a snowy day, you've got serious problems! I'd call that a setback. But someday Benaiah kills the cat. Verse 22, "And David appointed him as chief over his body guard." Getting stuck in a pit with a lion on a snowy day is about the last place any of us would want to be, but you've got to admit that "I killed a lion in a pit on a snowy day" looks pretty good on your resume when you apply for a bodyguard position.

I can see David flipping through a stack of resumes. "I majored in security at the University of Jerusalem." "I did an internship with the Palace Guard." "I worked for Brinks Armoured Chariots." Those aren't bad credentials, but then David reads the next resume. It says, "I killed a lion in a pit on a snowy day." When can you start? This is the kind of guy you want in charge of your bodyguard. Do you see how God used that setback as a stepping stone?

Benaiah climbs all the way up the military ladder to become Commander-in-Chief of David's army, but it all started in a pit with a lion on a snowy day. God used that setback to set him up. God uses our everyday experiences to build our resume - to position us where He wants us to be. That ought to give us a sense of destiny.

The primary thing is not to place your security solely on your current job. Instead place that security in God. The jobs may change, but God doesn't change. So make God your ultimate boss. It is He who moves you, in His time, for your good. So when you are moves out of a job, you can be assured that God is about something new in your life. He is using this setback to set you up to something new. Therefore, be expectant.

(Adapted from Senior Pastor Guna Raman "Managing Transitions In a Downturn" devotional)