Falling on Hard Times: Our Days in Midian

We live in a time of intensifying stress and trials. What can we learn when the world we’ve known is falling apart, and there’s nothing we can do to fix it?

Things are changing all around us. What we once thought was stable or safe is no longer so. We can no longer plan jobs, careers and retirement reliably. Millions lost their savings and investments, and many lost their homes in the still-unraveling economic crash of 2008.

Retirees are bagging groceries or doing other jobs usually reserved for teens. Others may be falling on hard times through illness, family tragedies, employment “outsourcing” and countless other factors beyond their control. The rapid price escalation of food and other commodities is a constant, nagging warning that things are not improving.

For an increasing number of people, there’s the nightmare of public assistance to become familiar with—an unplanned, unwelcome and sometimes humiliating introduction to a treadmill that goes nowhere.

Adjusting to change

For whatever reason, we can find ourselves on a downward slide. We struggle with our expectations. We’re supposed to provide for ourselves. We always have. We’re intelligent. We have talents and skills, but what used to work for us no longer does. Why?

And most hurtful of all—why isn’t God blessing us, at least not the way we expect Him to? What are we doing wrong?

When people become disabled or aged, they have to cope with becoming dependent on others. It is a hard adjustment process. Perhaps it is harder yet when younger, able-bodied individuals have to face the same prospects. Despair, discouragement and depression can set in.

The example of Moses

Over the 21-plus years of my own downturn, I have often thought about Moses, the man described as the meekest man on earth.

The prince of Egypt (Josephus says he was even the conqueror of Ethiopia!) was now tending sheep in Midian! Might he have missed the control he had in the prior stage of his life? I don’t doubt for a minute that this excellent individual had a mighty struggle with himself!

Meekness is suffering without resentment

While reading through the prophet Zephaniah, I noticed a note in my Nelson Study Bible that deepened the concept of meekness. It said meek is from a Hebrew word that means “to be bowed down” or “to be afflicted.” It is also translated “humility” in a nearby passage, as we usually understand it to pertain to those who are poor or oppressed.

“But,” the “WordFocus” definition continued, “it also signifies strength of character in enduring suffering without resentment. Such character is rooted in a strong faith in God and His goodness and a steadfast submission to the will of God” (1997, p. 1528).

For the 40 years that Moses was in Midian, he did not know the outcome of his ordeal. No disclosure had been made to him previously about his ultimate role in God’s hands. The same thing was true of Joseph during his time of slavery and subsequent imprisonment for unjust reasons. All great servants of God have been tested for meekness.

Two rewards of adversity

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” Jesus said in the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:5). We read the scripture, but do we really grasp it? Would we willingly volunteer to tend sheep, with all the discomfort, hardship and patience that it entails, to develop this trait that is a prerequisite for inheriting the earth? Would we choose to lose our jobs, our health, our friends or family members—our customary lifestyle?

Going back to Zephaniah, the commentary mentioned above was posted in reference to Zephaniah 2:3, which says: “Seek the LORD, all you meek of the earth, who have upheld His justice. Seek righteousness, seek humility. It may be that you will be hidden in the day of the LORD’s anger.”

God places a high value on meekness

Hardship is a regimen that no one enjoys. For those living in nations blessed with abundance, poverty brings a sorrow that we are not familiar with. Deprivation is a shock! However, the spiritual challenges and questions can be the same. We can all ask, Why must we suffer? And is it our fault?

As we adjust to changing circumstances and wonder why, we can look to the words in Zephaniah and renew our faith. God may be allowing whatever we mourn or are discouraged about for a purpose. Even if the answer doesn’t come in our way or in our time, if we handle it with meekness, we can still be pleasing to Him. Whether or not we are meeting our own or others’ expectations, we can grow toward God’s goal for us.

For more about why God allows trials, see the section about “Why Does God Allow Evil and Suffering?” on the new LifeHopeandTruth.com website.

Nancy Diraison is an East Texas member of the Church of God, a Worldwide Association. Writing everything from music to blogs is her favorite occupation!