Trusting God When Life Doesn’t Make Sense

The Purpose of Trials

No matter how successful we are, we all face challenges, struggles, and
times when things don’t go our way. When calamities occur, some people
immediately think they have done something wrong, that God must surely be
punishing them. They don’t understand that God has a divine purpose for
every challenge that comes into our lives. He doesn’t send the problems,
but sometimes He allows us to go through them.

Why is that? The Bible says temptations, trials, and difficulties must
come, because if we are to strengthen our spiritual muscles and grow
stronger, we must have adversities to overcome and attacks to resist.
Moreover, it’s in the tough times of life that we find out what we’re
really made of. The pressure exposes things that we need to deal with
things such as wrong attitudes, wrong motives, areas where we’re
compromising. As odd as this may seem, the trials can be beneficial.
The Scripture says, “Don’t be amazed at the fiery ordeal that’s tak­ing
place to test your quality as though something strange was hap­pening.”’
Notice, the trial is intended to test your quality, to test your character,
to test your faith. In other words, “Don’t think it’s a big deal when you
go through these tough times.” All through life, you will face various
tests, and even though you may not enjoy them, God will use those trials to
refine you, to cleanse and purify you. He’s trying to shape you into the
person He wants you to be. If you will learn to Co­operate with God and be
quick to change and correct the areas that He brings to light, then you’ll
pass that test and you will be promoted to a new level.

Tests of Faith

I’ve discovered in the struggles of life that God is more interested in
changing me than He is in changing my circumstances. I’m not saying that
God won’t change the circumstances. Certainly, He can and often does. But
most of the time, I’m tested in the areas where I am the weakest.
You’ve probably found something similar to be true. If you have a problem
with jealousy; it seems as though everybody you meet has more or better
material possessions than you do. You notice that your best friend wears a
brand-new outfit every time you turn around. The person you work next to,
who makes half as much money as you do, comes driving up in a brand-new
car. Your long-lost relative calls to tell you that she just won the
lottery!
Are you going to pass the test? Are you going to keep a good atti­tude and
rejoice with those who rejoice and be sincerely happy for them? Or are you
going to get all negative and bitter and say, “God, I work harder than they
do. Nothing good ever happens to me. I go to church every Sunday. Why can’t
I get a new car?”
That’s a test of your faith. That’s God bringing to light impurities in
your character. That’s God trying to refine you. If you’ll learn to work
with God, and let go of that jealousy, you’ll be amazed at the blessings
and favor and victory that will come into your life.
I’m a very focused and goal-oriented person. When I have a project to do, I
like to get it done right then and there. I’ve been that way my whole life.
In elementary school, when the teacher would give us a homework assignment
on a Monday that wasn’t due until Friday, I’d go home on Monday night and
do the whole thing! I didn’t want any­thing hanging over my head.
When I go to a restaurant, I order before they even give me a menu. I’m
trying to tell you in a roundabout way that sometimes I’m impa­tient. I
don’t like to wait; I don’t like to be inconvenienced. But I’ve discovered
that the more impatient I am, the more I find myself in sit­uations where I
have to wait around. If I’m in a hurry to get out of the grocery store,
inevitably I’ll get in the line with a brand-new cashier who is plodding
through his or her first day on the job, and the person in front of me will
have twenty-three items that don’t have a price tag on them!
At home, I’ve noticed that the more impatient I am, the longer it takes
Victoria to get dressed for an occasion. Ironically, when I’m not in a
hurry or being impatient, Victoria will beat me getting dressed. She’ll be
out in the car waiting with the kids. But every time I’m impatient, one
thing after another will delay us. Little Alexandra will have taken
Victoria’s makeup. The iron won’t work right. My wife can’t find our
daughter’s shoes. Interesting, isn’t it? Victoria doesn’t re­alize it, but
God is using her to refine me while she’s getting dressed!
God deliberately uses situations such as these so I can recognize the
problem in myself and learn to deal with it. He’s working something out of
me so I can rise to a new level and be the person He really wants me to be.
In a similar way, God will use people in your life. Your own hus­band or
wife, your in-laws, or your own children may be the unwitting mirrors that
God uses to reveal areas where you need to change.
“Joel, I can’t stand my boss. He irritates me to no end. I don’t know why
I have to work with him day in and day out. When is God ever going to
change that man?”
Have you considered that God may want to change you? God may have purposely
arranged for you to be in close proximity to that per­son who grates
against you. He may be trying to teach you how to love your enemies. Or, He
may be trying to toughen you up a little and teach you to have some
endurance, to not run from everything that is hard, uncomfortable, or
inconvenient.
A husband moans, “God, why did You put me with this woman? She can’t do
anything right. She can’t even cook. She burns the toast. She can’t make a
meat loaf. God, when are You going to change her?”
She’s probably going to continue to cook just like that until you learn how
to get over it, have a better attitude, and start appreciating the fact
that at least she’s trying to do something for you. You could be eating a
TV dinner!
A parent complains, “God, these kids are driving me bananas. If You would
just make them behave, then I’ll be happy”
God is not going to change anyone you are dealing with until He first
changes you. But if you’ll quit complaining about everybody around you and,
instead, start taking a good look inside and working with God to change
you, God will change those other people. Examine your own heart and see if
there are attitudes and motives that you need to change.
One day I was driving to church, and I was running a bit late for an
important meeting. I knew that if could avoid any traffic jams, I’d get
there just in time. But I caught every single stoplight going out of the
neighborhood. I even got stopped by a light that I had never before seen
turn red, not in my entire lifetime!
I started praying as 1 drove, but the more I prayed, the longer it took me
to get through the traffic lights. I finally steered onto the highway and
took off toward the church as fast as I could drive, praying the whole time
that God would give me the discernment to know which hill the policemen
were waiting behind. I had just enough time to make it to my meeting.
But as I kept going, much to my chagrin, the traffic started moving slower
and slower. I thought, Oh, no! What is going on? Eventually, the traffic
came to a complete stop. I thought, God, I’ve got to get to this meeting.
You’ve got to help me. In a couple of minutes, the lane next to me started
moving. I tried everything I possibly could to get into that lane, but it
was just one of those days. Nobody was willing to let me squeeze in. I had
my blinker on, I was smiling and waving, I was holding up money, I was
blowing kisses, I was doing everything, yet no­body would let me in!
Finally, a sweet little old lady was kind enough to let me pull into the
lane in front of her. I thought, All right! At last, I can get going! But
just as I tramped down on the gas pedal, the flow of traffic in that lane
came to a complete stop, and I had to slam on the brakes. Meanwhile, my
previous lane starting moving! I was so frustrated that I didn’t even want
to think about trying to get back in that other lane.
I didn’t realize that God was testing me in the area of my patience. I sat
stewing in that traffic for about ten minutes, and when it started inching
forward, I noticed the problem. A car had stalled and had been pulled off
to the right side of the road by a wrecker.
As I drew nearer to the flashing lights, compassion for a stranded
mo­torist was the farthest thing from my mind. Instead, I was thinking, I
wish you’d keep that old piece of junk off the road; here you are holding
everybody up, and you’re making me miss my meeting! My attitude was
terribly sour. About that time, my heart sank. I looked over at the
dis­abled vehicle and I saw what looked to be a Lakewood Church bumper
sticker on it. Sure enough, when I drove by, I slowed down and looked over,
and saw a man smiling and waving at me. I smiled back and waved at him like
I was his best friend. I thought, If he only knew the truth!
That’s when it dawned on me that perhaps God was trying to teach me
something. Maybe God was using the traffic jam to bring to light impurities
in my character. This was God showing me areas in which I needed to
improve.
God often allows you, too, to go through situations to draw out those
impurities in your character. You can rebuke until your “re­buker” wears
out. You can pray, you can resist, you can bind, you can loose, you can
sing and shout, you can do it all, but it’s not going to do you any good!
God is more interested in changing you than He is in changing the
circumstances. And the sooner you learn to cooperate with God, the sooner
you’ll get out of that mess. The quicker you learn your lesson and start
dealing with those bad attitudes and start ruling over your emotions, the
quicker you’ll go to the next level in your spiritual journey. We must
recognize the refining purpose of tri­als. We can’t run from everything
that’s hard in our lives.
Perhaps you are in a trial, and you’re doing what I did. You’re praying for
God to deliver you out of that negative situation. That is a legitimate
prayer, but maybe you’re missing the point of why you were allowed to go
through that trying time.
Recognize that God wants to do a work in you. He’s molding you and refining
you. But you’re so busy trying to evade the difficulty, the work is not
being done. You’re so focused on all the circumstances and all the people
around you that you haven’t taken time to look deep in­side and deal with
the issues God is bringing to light.
Perhaps you get worried and full of fear when important things don’t go
your way. Have you ever thought that God may be allowing those events to
teach you to trust Him and to see if you will stay peaceful and calm in the
midst of the storm? Have you considered that God may be allowing some of
that to teach you how to rule over your emotions? He may be trying to
toughen you up, to help you develop some backbone and stability in your
life.
We often pray, “God, if You will change my circumstances, then I’ll
change.” No, it works the other way around. We have to he willing to change
our attitudes and deal with the issues God brings up; then God will change
those circumstances.
God loves you far too much to allow you to go through life in medi­ocrity.
He will often permit pressure to be applied to your life, to test you, and
only as you pass those tests will you advance. He will put peo­ple and
circumstances in your path that grate on you like sandpaper, but He will
use them to rub off your rough edges. You may not always like it; you may
want to run from it, you may even resist it, but God is going to keep
bringing up the issue, again and again, until you pass the test.

Work in Progress

Remember, the Bible says, “We are {God’s] workmanship.” That means we are a
work in progress, not a finished product. One way or the other, God is
going to get His way. Either you can learn the hard way, as I did in that
traffic, and say, “Okay, God, I’ll do it Your way. I understand. I’ll be
calm; I’ll be patient.” Or, you can do it the easier way: When struggles
come your way, look deep inside and be quick to change. Be willing to deal
with any issues that God brings up. Work with God in the refining process
rather than fighting against Him.
Scripture says that God is the potter and we are the clay. Clay works best
when it is pliable, malleable, and moldable. But if you are hard, crusty,
and set in your ways, God will have to pound away on that old, hard clay to
get out the lumps.
Certainly, none of us enjoy going through struggles, but you have to
understand that your struggle may be an opportunity for advancement and
promotion. The very thing that you are fighting against so tena­ciously may
be the springboard that catapults you to a new level of ex­cellence. Your
challenges may become your greatest assets.
Many years ago, fishing for codfish tip in the Northeast had be­come a
lucrative commercial business. The fishing industry recognized that a great
market for codfish existed all over America, but they had a major problem
in the distribution. At first, they simply froze the fish, as they did all
their other products, and shipped it out all across the country. But for
some reason, after the codfish was frozen, it lost its taste. So the owners
decided to ship the fish in huge tanks filled with fresh seawater. They
thought for sure that would solve the problem and keep the fish fresh. But
to their dismay, this process only made matters worse. Because the fish
were inactive in the tank, they became soft and mushy, and once again they
lost their taste.
One day somebody decided to put some catfish in the tank with the codfish.
Catfish are a natural enemy of codfish, so as the tank traveled across the
country, the codfish had to stay alert and active and be on the lookout for
the catfish. Amazingly, when the tank arrived at its des­tination, the
codfish were as fresh and tasty as they were in the North­east.
Like that catfish, perhaps your adversity was dropped in your path for a
purpose. Perhaps it was put there to challenge you, to strengthen you, to
sharpen you, to keep you fresh, to keep you alive and active and growing.
Granted, at times, it feels as though you have a great white shark in the
tank rather than a catfish, but the adversity you are facing could very
well be something that God is using to push you and chal­lenge you to be
your best. The trial is a test of your faith, character, and endurance.
Don’t give up. Don’t quit. Don’t whine and complain, saying, “God, why is
all this happening to me?”
Instead, stand strong and fight the good fight of faith. God is giv­ing you
an opportunity for promotion. It is the struggle that gives us the
strength. Without opposition or resistance, there is no potential for
progress. Without the resistance of air, an eagle can’t soar. Without the
resistance of water, a ship can’t float. Without the resistance of
grav­ity, you and I can’t even walk.
Yet our human tendency is to want everything easily. “God, can’t You teach
me patience without having to go through the traffic jam? God, can’t You
teach me how to love and trust You without ever hav­ing a problem?”
Unfortunately, there are no shortcuts; there’s no easy way to mature
physically, emotionally, or spiritually. You must remain determined and
work with God. The Bible says, “Work out your own salvation. Salvation is
more than a onetime prayer. It is constantly working with God, dealing with
the issues He brings up and keeping a good attitude, fighting through until
you win the victory.
Some bumblebees were taken along on a space mission for a study on the
effects of weightlessness. Similar to humans in space, the bees floated
around with such great ease, they didn’t even have to use their wings. It
looked as though they were thriving in the weightless envi­ronment without
work, struggle, or adversity. But after three days, all the bees died. The
experiment was summed tip with these words: “They enjoyed the ride, but
they didn’t survive.” Bees were never meant to go through life without
using their wings, not having any re­sistance. In the same way, you and I
were never made to float through life on flowery beds of ease.
God never promised that we wouldn’t have challenges. In fact, He said just
the opposite. His Word says, “Be truly glad’ These trials are only to
test your faith, to see whether or not it is strong and pure . . . So if
your faith remains strong after being tried in the test tube of fiery
trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day of his
return.”
When you go through difficult times, make sure you pass the test. Don’t be
stubborn and hardheaded. Recognize that God is refining you, knocking off
some of your rough edges. Stand strong arid fight the good fight of faith.
God has called each of us to be champions; you are destined to win. If you
will work with God and keep a good atti­tude, then no matter what comes
against you, the Bible says that all things—not just the good things in
life, but all things—will work to­gether for your good.




In 1958, when my dad’s future looked so bright in the denomination in which
he was serving, my sister Lisa was born with a birth injury similar to
cerebral palsy. The doctors told my parents that she would never be normal,
never walk, and would probably need twenty-four-hour care. Mother and Daddy
were devastated.
It was one of the darkest hours in our family’s history Mother and Daddy
could easily have become bitter. They could have easily said, “God, this is
not fair, Why did this happen to us? Here we are doing our best to serve
You, and You allow something like this to occur.
But no, Daddy knew that adversity could be a stepping-stone to something
greater. He knew God would not allow a trial without hav­ing a purpose for
that trial. Instead of being negative and running away from God, Daddy ran
to God. He began to search the Scriptures as never before, and he
discovered the God of the Bible in a fresh way—as a loving God, a healing
God, a restoring God, and, yes, as a God of miracles. Daddy went back to
his church and preached with a new fire and enthusiasm. Beyond that, he and
Mother began believing that Lisa could be healed.
Daddy studied the Bible and began preaching messages about hope, healing,
and living in victory. He honestly thought the congregation would be
thrilled with the message that God wanted good things for His people—after
all, who could argue with that?
But, as I mentioned earlier, some people became upset and Daddy eventually
resigned from that church. In that dark hour, Lakewood Church was born. God
used the adversity to enlarge my dad’s vision,
ushering him into a whole new era of ministry. What the enemy meant for
evil, God turned around and used it to His advantage. And in the midst of
the struggle, God healed Lisa’s body. To this day, my sister is healthy and
well. But I don’t believe any of that would have happened if my dad had not
handled his adversities correctly.
Many people immediately respond negatively to adversities and trouble,
rather than believing that God can bring good out of the sit­uation. I’m
not saving God sends the trouble, but I am saying God will use any
adversity you face to take you to a higher level if you’ll just do your
part and keep standing strong.

Two Kinds of Faith

In my life, I’ve discovered two kinds of faith—a delivering faith and a
sustaining faith. Delivering faith is when God instantly turns your
sit­uation around. When that happens, it’s great. But I believe it takes a
greater faith and a deeper walk with God to have that sustaining faith.
That’s when circumstances don’t change immediately, but you say; “God, I
don’t care what comes against me, I don’t care how long it takes, this
thing is not going to defeat me. It’s not going to get me down. I know
You’re on my side. And as long as You are for me, that’s all that matters.”
Sustaining faith is what gets you through those dark nights of the soul
when you don’t know where to go or what to do, and it seems that you can’t
last another day . . . but because of your faith in God, you do.
When you have that kind of attitude, the adversary doesn’t have a chance
with you. Besides, it’s not usually adversities that cause our problems;
it’s how we respond to our adversities. You can have a little bitty problem
and it can defeat you. On the other hand, I’ve seen peo­ple dealing with
huge problems—tragic deaths in the family, incurable diseases, divorce,
bankruptcy, and all sorts of other calamities yet they are happy and at
peace. They are living in an attitude of faith. They are believing for
things to change. They are determined to live in victory!
When you face adversity, you need to remind yourself that whatever is
trying to defeat you could very well be what God will use to promote you.
For example, when Daddy went to be with the Lord back in Jan­uary 1999, God
placed a strong desire in my heart to pastor Lakewood Church. All of the
critics said we would never make it, and with good reason. I had never
preached before! Ever!

A Willing Heart

I had spent seventeen years behind the scenes at Lakewood managing our
television production. Over the course of those years, Daddy tried many
times to get me out in public to speak, but I never had the desire to do
it. I was comfortable and content working behind the scenes. But about a
week before my dad went to be with the Lord, he and Mother were over at
Kevin and Lisa’s home eating dinner. During the meal, Daddy said to them,
“I’m going to call Joel and ask him if he’ll speak for me this Sunday”
My mother laughed and said, “John, you’re just wasting your time. Joel is
not going to get out there and speak in front of anybody.”
(Thanks for that vote of confidence, Mom!)
Nevertheless, Daddy telephoned me at my house. And just as Mother said, I
responded, “Daddy, I’m not a preacher. I don’t even know how to preach.
You’re the preacher.” I laughed and told him, as I had many times before,
“You get up there and preach, and I promise you this; I’ll make you look
good.”
We laughed, and I hung up the phone and sat down to eat dinner.
While Victoria and I were eating, Daddy’s words kept flitting through my
mind, and with no other provocation, I began to have an overwhelming desire
to preach. I didn’t really understand it at the time, but I knew I had to
do something. Keep in mind, I had never even pre­pared a sermon, let alone
considered standing up in front of thousands of people to speak.
Nevertheless, I called Daddy right back and said, “Daddy, I’ve changed my
mind. I think I’ll do it.”
Of course, Daddy nearly passed out!
I studied all week and prepared a message, and the next Sunday I spoke at
Lakewood Church for the first time. The message was well re­ceived by the
congregation. None of us, however, could have imagined that would be the
last Sunday of Daddy’s life. He passed away Friday night—five days later.
We had church that Sunday and, of course, the congregation was grieving the
loss of my father, their pastor and friend, yet there was an air of
confidence in the building. On Monday morning, three days after Daddy’s
death, I was at home contemplating all the events that had taken place and
spending a little time in prayer. We were to have a special memorial
service in Daddy’s honor later that week.
All of a sudden, I felt that overwhelming desire to speak once again. I
called my mother and said, “Mother, who’s going to speak this Sunday?”
She said, “Ah, well, Joel, I don’t know. We’re just going to have to pray
and believe that God will send the right one.”
“Well, I’m just sort of thinking about . . . maybe that I would like to do
it.”
That’s all Mother needed to hear. My mother has an interesting habit. When
she is on the telephone and finishes her part of the con­versation, she’s
through. She just hangs up. She doesn’t give on any time to respond. So
when I said, “I’m thinking about speaking,” she jumped right in and said,
“Oh, Joel, that would be great. I can’t wait to tell the people. We’ll see
you later.”
Click. The line went dead.
“Now wait a minute!” I said. “I said I was thinking about speaking. I
didn’t say I was going to do it.”
Too late; Mother was already long gone.
Well, that’s just my mother, I thought. I can always back out on her. It’s
not going to hurt her feelings. She’ll forgive me.
Two days later, at the memorial service for my dad, and in front of eight
thousand people, Mother turned around and said, “I’m so happy to announce
to you that my son Joel will he speaking this Sunday”
And I thought, Dear God, now I’m stuck!
Later that night, I was watching all the news reports about my dad. The
Houston media gave Daddy glowing tributes as they reported his passing
away. I was about to turn the television off and go to bed when I heard a
newscaster say one final thing about Daddy’s memorial ser­vice. “And by the
way,” the news anchor announced, “Osteen’s son Joel will be ministering
this Sunday”
I said, “All right, God. I got the message. I’ll do it.”
So I wasn’t surprised when after Daddy went to be with the Lord, almost
every subsequent media report discussed how Lakewood Church had little
chance of surviving. They talked about how we would never make it. The
naysayers were quick to point out that no large church with a strong,
dynamic leader such as my dad had ever survived after the death of that
leader. One article specifically opined, “The worst thing that could happen
is for one of the sons to take over.
I quipped to Victoria, “Now I could understand that if they knew my
brother, Paul, but they don’t even know me!”
As much as I tried to make light of the reports, the words still stung.
There I was, trying to get my nerve up to speak, trying to build my
confidence, and the media were already predicting our church’s demise!
I knew I had to make a choice: Would I believe God or would I be­lieve the
negative reports? I decided not to dwell on public opinion or popularity
polls. I refused to let those negative reports poison my heart and mind. I
declined to listen to anyone who seemed intent on talking me out of
fulfilling my destiny. More important, I knew God had raised up Lakewood
Church to be a beacon of hope for more than forty years, and He wasn’t
going to let it go down the drain just be­cause Daddy had graduated to
heaven.
Interestingly, the naysayers predicted that we’d be doing well if we merely
maintained the status quo. But God had other plans. Lakewood continued to
grow, and in 2003, Forbes magazine named Lakewood Church “the largest
church in America,” with twenty-five thousand people attending each
weekend. And we’re still growing!
If you will handle adversity in the right way, God has promised that He
will turn your challenges into stepping-stones for promotion. God wants to
do new and unusual things in our lives. He’s looking for peo­ple who will
trust Him with their whole hearts. He’s looking for people who won’t limit
Him with their small-minded thinking.
You may say, “Joel, I’m just an ordinary person. How could God ever use me?
What could I ever do?”
Friend, God uses ordinary people like you and me to do extraordi­nary
things. God is not looking for great power. He’s not looking for great
education. God is simply looking for a willing heart. God is not looking
for away ability; He’s looking for availability. Just give God what you
have. If you’ll give God the little that you do have, He’ll take that and
multiply it and increase it. And He’ll make more out of your life than
you’ve ever dreamed possible. God’s plan for your life is so must bigger
and so much greater than you can imagine.
I’m convinced that one day we will look back at what we consid­ered to be
the worst thing that could happen to us, and we’ll realize that God used
even that time of adversity to refine us, mold us, shape us, and prepare us
for good things to come. Interesting, isn’t it? Ad­versity often pushes us
into our divine destiny
And sometimes we need a push! Had God not pushed me out of my comfort zone,
I would probably still be behind the scenes today God wants us to
constantly be growing, and sometimes He’ll use a little adversity or some
tension to get us moving forward. He will allow pres­sure to push you, to
stretch you, to get you out of your comfort zone. He knows just how much
you can take, and in your times of distress, keep in mind, God is enlarging
you. The struggle is giving you strength. Furthermore, God knows the gifts
and talents that He has placed within each one of us. He knows what you are
capable of, and He’s going to do everything necessary to get you into your
divine destiny. You’ll be amazed at what you can accomplish when God puts a
little pressure on and you get out of that safe zone and step over into the
faith zone.