Serve God in the unpleasant places of life.
Many times we find ourselves in a situation or place that we do not like. It may be where we live, where we work, our marriage, our health, or any kind of difficult circumstance. We may spend a lot of time wishing and praying that God would move us into a new “location.” In fact, we may be so focused on our discomfort, that we miss out on opportunities to serve God.
In 1 Corinthians 7:17 NLT, Paul says, “You must accept whatever situation the Lord has put you in, and continue on as you were when God first called you.” Paul was basically saying that we should demonstrate our faith wherever we are.
In 1 Corinthians 7:30 NLT, Paul writes, “Happiness or sadness or wealth should not keep anyone from doing God’s work.”
Wow, that really hits home for me. Oftentimes we are so absorbed in our unhappiness with our life, that our faith becomes paralyzed. In other words, we may allow sadness to overwhelm us to the point that we avoid serving God altogether. We become so focused on ourselves that we ignore opportunities to help others and spread God’s love to those around us.
Happiness and wealth can have a similar effect. We may be “living the dream” to such a degree that we fail to see the importance of our faith and the urgency of spreading the Good News. Everything is going great. We are great. Life is great. What more do we need? Unfortunately with this mindset we become worldly and ignore serving God and others.
People Who Served God in Difficult Places
Here are a few examples of people in the Bible who found themselves in some less than desirable situations. However, they found value in that place and continued to serve God there.
Paul
There is so much that can be said about Paul related to this topic. Paul was stoned, beaten with rods, flogged, bitten by a poisonous snake, imprisoned multiple times, and shipwrecked three times all during his time of ministry.
In one particular situation, Paul was beaten, thrown into prison, and bound with chains. However, while he was there he prayed, sang hymns, and praised God so that the other prisoners heard him. Paul served God by being a witness for Him, even in the midst of a filthy prison cell.
Around midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. Acts 16:25 NLT
Paul found a way to serve God in every place and situation he was in.
Joseph
Joseph was sold as a slave by his own brothers, the people who should have loved him the most. He quickly found himself in an unfamiliar land with no family or friends, living as a lowly slave. He was beaten, lied about, and ultimately imprisoned.
However, throughout his entire ordeal, Joseph served God, and his faith did not waiver. Joseph did his work well and with a good attitude. He prayed to God, and he lived a life that demonstrated his faith in God to those around him.
Joseph lived as a slave and prisoner for a total of thirteen years. Yes, you read that right. Thirteen long years of being in a place that Joseph had never planned to be. Yet during those long, arduous years, Egypt was exposed to the one true God by a man who served God in an unpleasant place.
In Genesis 50:20, Joseph said to his brothers, “As far as I am concerned, God turned into good what you meant for evil.”
When you are in an unpleasant place, if you love God and live for Him, He is going to work it all out for your good.
Job
Job was a man of God who went through an extremely difficult time. He lost everything including his children, his possessions, and his health. However, Job did not give up on God, and he did not lose his faith. Job continued to praise God, and thus served as a living testimony during his time of suffering.
The Lord gave me everything I had, and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord! In all of this, Job did not sin by blaming God. Job 1:21-22 NLT
David
David was “a man after God’s own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14). He was anointed King of Israel by Samuel while Saul was still king. David killed Goliath and became the hero of the land. Then he spent several years running for his life from King Saul, while living in caves in the wilderness. During his time on the run, David cried out in despair to God many times, but he remained faithful.
While he was in this most unbearable place, David wrote many of the Psalms that encourage us today. David praised God throughout these Psalms, and in doing so he modeled how we should praise God through the difficult times in our lives.
While David was in the wilderness he wrote, “Your unfailing love is better to me than life itself; how I praise you! I will honor you as long as I live, lifting up my hands to you in prayer.” Psalm 63:3-4 NLT
In Conclusion
Many of us are living in unpleasant and difficult places we never would have imagined for our lives. During these times it may be easy to focus on our unhappiness and pain. However, no matter what place we are in, there is still a world of people out there who do not know Jesus. They are hurting just like we are, except they do not have the hope that we have in Jesus Christ. We have to share that hope with them.
Even when we are unhappy with our current situation, we need to continue to serve God, remain faithful, praise Him, and be a witness for Him. Remember the Biblical examples of people like Paul, David, Joseph, and Job. Each of these men found themselves in intolerable places, but they chose to serve God regardless of their circumstances. We need to do the same.
Find value in the place you are in and use it to serve God.
