We all go through situations in which life is not fair. I met a man a
while ago who had just been laid off after twenty-five years with his
company. He had been a faithful employee, giving it his best, loyal as
could be. He felt betrayed, alone, and forgotten, as though he’d been
dropped. He’s not alone in feeling that way. I have a friend whose father
was killed in an accident when he was two years old, and all through
school he thought, Why does everybody else have a dad, but I don’t?
There was an emptiness on the inside. He felt dropped as a little boy.
Sometimes other people’s poor choices have a negative effect on us.
Maybe you were raised in an unhealthy environment, and now you’re
dealing with the same addictions, same depression, and same anger that
surrounded you every day when you were a child. Those things keep
getting passed down from generation to generation. Some people were
taken advantage of and mistreated; now they deal with shame and guilt,
feeling as though they don’t measure up. It wasn’t their fault. Somebody
dropped them. I’ve learned you can’t live very long without being
dropped—dropped by an illness, dropped by a divorce, dropped by a
friend who turns on you. It’s easy to get stuck in a dark place, thinking,
This is never going to change. It’s my lot in life.
You may have been dropped, but the good news is that the God we
serve knows how to pick you back up. David said, “God lifted me out of
a horrible pit, and set my feet upon a rock.” David was dropped by people
coming against him, by rejection, by disappointments, and by his own
failures, but God said, in effect, “Don’t worry, David, that drop is not the
end.” In the same way, that bad break, that failure, those people who did
you wrong, that sickness, that addiction, that chronic pain is not the end
of your story.
If you have been dropped, you need to get ready. God’s about to lift
you. He’s about to set you in a higher place. He’s going to take you
where you could not go on your own—to a new level, to new
opportunities, to new friendships, to new health, to new joy, to new
fulfillment. You’re not going to come out the same. The Scripture talks
about how God will pay you back double for the unfair things that
happened. When you have a bad break and you get dropped, don’t get
discouraged or bitter. Get ready for double. Get ready for increase. Get
ready for favor. Get ready for new levels.
God has not forgotten about you. He has seen every lonely night,
every wrong that’s been done, and every person who’s ever harmed you.
He’s a God of justice. When the Israelites were being mistreated in
slavery, taken advantage of by the Egyptians, He told them, “I’m coming
down to make your wrongs right. I’m coming down to pick you back up.
I’m coming down to bring justice, to deal with the people who have done
you wrong.” Did you notice what causes God to get off the throne, what
causes the Creator of the universe to stop what He’s doing and take
action? When He sees you being mistreated, when He sees that injustice,
He doesn’t sit back and say, “Too bad.” He says, “That’s My son, that’s
My daughter, My most prized possession. They’ve been dropped, and
now I have to get down there to do something about it.” When God goes
to work, all the forces of darkness cannot stop Him. He’ll make your
wrongs right, He’ll pay you back for the trouble, and He’ll get you to
where you’re supposed to be.
The fact is, we all get dropped in life. It’s easy to feel alone and
forgotten, as though you don’t matter. But don’t believe those lies. God
said in the book of Isaiah, “I will not forget you. See, I have you carved
in the palms of My hands.” Every time God opens His hands, He sees
your name. He’s reminded of you. You may have had some bad breaks,
some closed doors, some people who didn’t do you right, but God hasn’t
forgotten about your dreams, He hasn’t forgotten about the promises He’s
given you. He hasn’t forgotten about that baby you’ve been longing to
have, that spouse you’ve been praying for, that healing, that wholeness,
that freedom you need. Stay in faith. Life happens to all of us, and you
may get dropped, but remember that it’s only temporary. God sees it.
He’s not only going to lift you back up, but He’s going to take you to a
higher place of blessing. You’re going to come out better than you were
before.
Nothing Goes Unnoticed
This is what happened to a young man in the Scripture named
Mephibosheth. He was the grandson of King Saul and the son of
Jonathan. Born into royalty, he was destined to one day take the throne.
His future was bright. As a child he was cared for by loving nurses and
people who treated him with kindness, doing their best to meet his every
need. They knew they were dealing with the future king. But when he
was five years old, his father, Jonathan, and grandfather King Saul were
both killed in a battle. A messenger came to Mephibosheth’s house
telling the bad news and that the enemy was on its way to wipe out all of
King Saul’s family. A nurse picked up little Mephibosheth and in a panic
took off running as fast as she could to try to save the boy’s life. She had
good intentions, she was trying to help him, but in her haste as they fled,
she dropped Mephibosheth. Both of his legs were broken, and he became
crippled and could no longer walk.
Mephibosheth didn’t do anything wrong. It wasn’t his fault. Yet he
had to pay the price for somebody else’s mistake for the rest of his life. It
didn’t seem fair. Sometimes well-meaning people can drop us. They
don’t mean to hurt us, but perhaps they made a mistake and said or did
something they shouldn’t have. They were working hard, struggling to
make ends meet, and they weren’t there when we needed them. Or they
had bad habits, addictions that were passed down to them, which they’ve
now passed down to us. They weren’t bad people, their hearts were for
us, but like this nurse they dropped us. Now we’re crippled with low self-
esteem, with addictions, with negativity, with depression. It’s keeping us
from our destiny.
Mephibosheth was the grandson of the king, had royalty in his blood,
and was destined for the palace. But he ended up living in a place called
Lo Debar, which was one of the poorest, most run-down cities of that
day, a dark place. Year after year went by, and I’m sure he thought,
Everybody has forgotten about me. I used to be somebody important and
respected. I used to have big dreams and was excited about life, but look
at me now. I’m crippled and living in the slums. I don’t have any friends,
nobody cares about me, and none of this was even my fault. Somebody
dropped me. He felt alone and forgotten, as though it would never
change.
But nothing goes unnoticed with our God. God saw that his father
had been killed and taken away from him at an early age. God saw the
well-meaning nurse drop him. God saw his once-normal legs, with which
he could run, jump, and play, become crippled, resulting in his having to
be carried around. God saw the poverty and lack he was living in. God
didn’t just sit back and say, “Boy, Mephibosheth, you sure had some bad
breaks. You need to find a more sure-footed nurse next time. She really
messed up your life.” Rather, God said, “Mephibosheth, I haven’t
forgotten about you. I have you carved in the palms of My hands. You’re
always on My mind. Yes, you got dropped. Yes, life hasn’t treated you
fairly, but that bad break is not the end. I’m a God of justice. I’m going to
pay you back for what’s happened.”
Many years later, King David had won great victories, established
himself on the throne of Israel, was living in the palace, and was highly
respected by the people. David didn’t need anything; he had it all. But
one day he had a desire to show kindness to Saul’s family. Think about
how unusual this was. Saul was the one who had tried to kill David. Saul
was the one who had chased him through the wilderness and made his life
miserable. Yet David said in 2 Samuel 9, “Is there anyone left from the
house of Saul, that I might show kindness to?” Why would David want to
be good to the family of one of his enemies? That didn’t make sense. But
God is a God of justice. He controls the whole universe. That was God
whispering in David’s ear, putting a desire in him to be good to someone
who had been dropped—namely, Mephibosheth.
God knows how to make things happen that you could never make
happen. You may say, “Joel, I’m stuck in a dark place. I’ve had these bad
breaks, and I’m never going to get out of this mess, never going to
accomplish my dreams, and never going to be fulfilled.” No, your time is
coming. God is going to whisper in someone’s ear to be good to you. You
don’t deserve it, you won’t earn it, and you couldn’t make it happen on
your own, but somebody will give you a good break, somebody will offer
you the job, somebody will give you the contract, somebody will step up
and solve the problem. You may have been dropped, but don’t be
discouraged. Justice is coming, restoration is coming, promotion is
coming, favor is coming, and new beginnings are coming.
The King Is Summoning You
When David asked if any of Saul’s relatives were still alive, his assistant
said, “We’ve searched and searched, and there’s only one grandson left,
the son of Jonathan. His name is Mephibosheth. But the problem is, he’s
crippled. He can’t walk. He’s never going to amount to much. No use
wasting your time with him.” They tried to talk David out of it, but he
said, “No. Go get him and bring him to my palace.”
Mephibosheth had been hiding, living in exile, hoping that nobody
would know he was related to King Saul. After all, Saul had not treated
David right. Imagine what people thought when the officials from the
palace, wearing their royal uniforms, showed up in Lo Debar and started
going through the slums looking for this crippled man. The whole town
was stirring, buzzing with excitement. Word finally reached
Mephibosheth: “Someone is here from the palace.” He asked, “What are
they doing here of all places?” They answered back, “They’re looking for
you.” Mephibosheth’s heart skipped a beat. He thought, Oh man, my luck
has run out. They found me. Now they’re going to get rid of me. The
officials said, “Come with us right now. The king is summoning you.”
The problem was that Mephibosheth couldn’t walk. They had to
carry him to the palace. They spent hours and hours traveling and finally
made it to the palace. When they told David that he’d arrived, David went
out to meet him. I’m sure that David was expecting to see a tall, strong,
good-looking man who stood head and shoulders above the rest of the
people, like his grandfather King Saul. Saul had looked like a king, had a
presence that commanded respect, and walked as royalty. Now here
comes his grandson. Surely there would be some resemblance. But when
David saw the frail Mephibosheth, with his shriveled-up legs, I can
imagine him asking his assistant, “Are you sure this is Saul’s grandson?
Are you sure he’s royalty? Is he really Jonathan’s son?” If this story took
place today, they would have answered, “Yes, we’re positive. We went to
ancestry .com. We did DNA testing.” David was very puzzled and asked,
“Mephibosheth?” His question clearly implied, “What happened to you?”
Mephibosheth wouldn’t look David in the eyes, having fallen on his face
on the ground. He was too ashamed, too insecure, too afraid. He said,
“King David, when I was five years old and my father and grandfather
were killed, I was dropped, and my life has never been the same.”
That could have been the end of the story. David could have said,
“Too bad. You should have seen how your grandfather treated me. I don’t
feel sorry for you. You’re getting what your family deserved.”
Mephibosheth was so afraid that he was shaking, thinking it was the end,
but David said, “Mephibosheth, don’t fear. I’m not going to harm you.
I’m going to show you kindness for Jonathan your father’s sake. From
now on you’re not going to live in Lo Debar. You’re going to live here in
the palace with me. I’m going to give you all the land that belonged to
your grandfather King Saul. You don’t have to go out and work the land.
I’m going to give you a full staff that will farm the land for you, and you
will keep all the profits. They’ll do the work, and you reap the benefits.
And last thing, you will always sit at my table and have dinner with me—
not over with the staff, not with my assistants or with the military leaders.
You have a permanent seat at the king’s table.”
There’s a Seat for You at the King’s Table
Maybe you feel as though you’ve been dropped in a way similar to
Mephibosheth. Perhaps you had a bad break, lost a loved one, or weren’t
treated right. It would be easy to get bitter, settle there, and not expect
anything good. You need to get ready, for your time is coming. The King
is about to summon you to the palace. God is going to pay you back, and
not just what should have been yours. He’s going to give you what
belonged to your forefathers. It’s going to be far and beyond favor.
You’re not going to have to work for it. It will be the goodness of God,
paying you back and bringing justice. You may not see how it can
happen, but God is speaking to the right people about you. He’s softening
the right hearts. He’s going to pay you back for that unfair childhood, pay
you back for those people who did you wrong, pay you back for that
loved one you lost, pay you back for that baby you couldn’t have. You
may have been dropped, but you need to get ready, for there’s a seat at
the King’s table waiting for you. God’s already prepared it, and it has
your name on it. It’s a seat of favor, a seat of restoration, a seat of
healing, a seat of increase.
You have royal blood in your veins. The Most High God breathed
His life into you. He’s crowned you with favor and destined you to live in
the palace. That is a place of blessing, a place of wholeness, a place of
victory. So don’t settle in Lo Debar, don’t get comfortable just surviving,
enduring, barely making it in that dark place. “Well, Joel, I’ve had some
bad breaks. Life hasn’t turned out fair.” Maybe not, but that doesn’t
change who you are. You’re still royalty. You still have the crown of
favor. You still have the DNA of Almighty God. It’s payback time.
There’s a seat at the King’s table with your name on it. People may have
pushed you down, but God’s going to push you up. Circumstances may
have dropped you, but God is the glory and the lifter of your head. Just as
with the Israelite slaves in Egypt, He’s coming down to make things
right. There is going to be a lifting out of the pit. Things will happen for
you that you couldn’t make happen. The favor of God will open new
doors, causing people to be good to you, paying you back for the unfair
situations.
What’s interesting is that Mephibosheth was never healed. For the
rest of his life he remained a cripple. It may seem as though this isn’t a
good ending. But I’ve learned that if God doesn’t remove the difficulty, if
He doesn’t totally turn it around, He will make it up to you. You may
have lost a loved one; you can’t bring that person back, but God can
make the rest of your life so rewarding, so fulfilling, that it takes away
the pain. Perhaps a relationship didn’t work out—a person walked out of
your life and broke your heart. God can bring somebody new into your
life who’s so loving, so fun, so kind, so appealing to you, that you won’t
even miss the person who left you. God knows how to pay you back.
Mephibosheth was never able to walk again, but sitting at the king’s table
each night, having people to take care of him, to farm his land and bring
him the profit—for those reasons I don’t think he ever complained. All he
could say was, “Thank You, Lord, for Your goodness. Thank You for
saving me. Thank You for rescuing me. Thank You for Your mercy.”
When God overwhelms you with His goodness, when He brings you out
with double, you don’t think about what you’ve lost, who hurt you, or
what didn’t work out. You’re so amazed that God remembered you,
promoted you, brought the right people when you didn’t think you could
go on and had them carry you to the palace—all you can do is thank Him
for what He’s done.
My sister Lisa and her husband, Kevin, tried for many years to have a
baby with no success. She went through all the fertility treatments, had a
couple of surgeries, but still no baby. Finally the doctors told them that
she would never be able to have a child. Many people have received that
same report, but against all the odds, they’ve had a baby anyway.
They’ve seen God make a way where there was no way. But for Lisa and
Kevin, it didn’t happen. Lisa felt as though she had been dropped. But
God is a God of justice. As was true for Mephibosheth, if you don’t get
healed, if it doesn’t turn out your way, God will make it up to you. One
day Lisa received a phone call from a friend in another state who runs a
home for teenage girls. She said, “We have a young lady who’s about to
have twins, and something told me to call and see if you and Kevin would
be interested in adopting them.” When they heard that, something leaped
in their spirits. They knew right then and there that those girls were for
them. A couple of years later, they also adopted a baby boy. Now they
have three amazing teenagers, as happy as can be. Lisa said, “Here’s how
good God is. I have three children, and I never had to get pregnant once.”
God knows how to make it up to you. Don’t get bitter or wallow
around in self-pity. God hasn’t forgotten about you. When He pays you
back, it will be bigger, better, and more rewarding than you can imagine.
You won’t complain about the disappointment. Rather you’ll be saying,
“Look what the Lord has done. He’s amazed me with His goodness.”
You Have a Ticket Out of Lo Debar
Mephibosheth was summoned to the palace, but he couldn’t get there on
his own—he was carried to the palace. Each night at dinnertime, he
couldn’t get to his seat by himself—he was carried to the table. When he
went to sleep at night, he was carried to his bed. You may think, I can’t
accomplish my dreams. I’m crippled. I’m broken. I have these addictions.
I’m dealing with this depression, this sickness. But when you can’t do it
on your own, God will always have somebody there to carry you. You’re
not alone, and you’re not forgotten. God has you in the palms of His
hands. He’s not looking down on you because you’re crippled, so to
speak. You’re struggling in some areas. He saw the times you’ve been
dropped. You didn’t go down by yourself, and you’re not going to come
up by yourself. God has people already lined up to carry you, to
encourage you, to help you do what you could not do on your own.
When Jesus was carrying the cross and about to be crucified, He was
so exhausted, so weak, that He collapsed under the weight of the cross.
He couldn’t carry it any farther. There was a man named Simon who just
happened to be right there. He picked up the cross and carried it the rest
of the way. You don’t have to be strong all the time. Even Jesus fell down
under the weight of the cross. The good news is that there will always be
somebody there to help you, to carry you, to get you to where you need to
be. In the Garden of Gethsemane on the previous night, Jesus had been in
so much distress that His sweat became like great drops of blood. On the
cross Jesus felt alone, forgotten, and abandoned. At one point He cried
out, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” He had been
mistreated, falsely accused, and rejected. He was saying, “God, I’ve been
dropped. I feel forgotten, alone, up here by Myself.” It looked as though
that were the end and the darkness had won, but three days later, Jesus
was sitting at the King’s table, the victor, not the victim. The enemy
never has the final say. God controls the universe. He’s a God of justice.
When you don’t have the strength to move forward on your own,
God has angels to carry you. He has the right people lined up to help you.
He’s not going to let you stay in Lo Debar. He’s going to keep working,
restoring, promoting, and increasing you until He gets you to your seat at
the King’s table. Dinner is not complete without you there. You may
have been dropped, you may have had bad breaks, you may feel broken
and crippled, but that’s okay. Today you’re being summoned by the
King. We need your presence. We need your gifts. We need your smile,
your laughter, your love, and your kindness—not half-hearted or pushed
down.
This is a new day. Isaiah said, “God will give you joy instead of
mourning, a crown of beauty instead of ashes, a garment of praise instead
of a spirit of heaviness.” Maybe you don’t have enough joy, there’s not
enough laughter, and you’re letting your circumstances and pressures
weigh you down. But I believe that God is breathing new life into your
spirit. The sadness is leaving and gladness is coming. Heaviness is going
and joy is on the way. Your life is going to be filled with laughter and
happiness. The Scripture says you will have joy unspeakable and full of
glory.
You Are Not Forgotten
Many years ago, there was a young man in South Korea who was dying
from tuberculosis. One of his lungs had already collapsed. As he lay on
his bed at home waiting to die, he was in so much pain that he began to
call out to his gods one by one. He cried out to one god, “Please, come
help me!” No answer. He called out to another god, but still no answer.
Finally, in desperation, he said in the dark emptiness of his room, “If
there’s any god out there anywhere, I don’t ask you to heal me. I just ask
you to show me how to die.” He felt alone and forgotten. He had been
dropped through no fault of his own, by a life-threatening disease.
You might not think that God would have anything to do with this
young man. After all, he wasn’t a believer. But the Scripture says, “Call
on God, and He will answer you.” It doesn’t say call if you go to church,
or call if you can quote the Scripture, or call if you’re good enough. No, it
says that anyone is welcome to call. God breathed His life into you. He
has a seat for you at the King’s table. A few hours later, a young college
student was walking through the neighborhood and felt what she
described as an unexplainable love drawing her to that man’s house. She
knocked on the door, and his mother answered. The college student said,
“I know you don’t know me, but I just wanted to know if there’s anything
I can pray with you about.” The mother began to weep and told how her
son was on his deathbed. The young lady went in and prayed for him. He
gave his life to Christ. Long story short: God healed him, and today,
many years later, Dr. David Yonggi Cho is the founding pastor of the
largest church in the world.
Friend, God hasn’t forgotten about you. He’s a God of justice. You
may be dealing with a sickness, a loss, or a bad break. You may feel as
though life has dropped you, but you need to get ready. God is about to
pick you back up, and He is not just going to bring you out the same—
He’s going to set you on high and bring you out better. It’s payback time.
God is about to make some things up to you. He’s lining up the right
people to come find you with blessings, with favor. I believe that as
Mephibosheth did, you’re coming into the palace—a place of healing, a
place of restoration, abundance, opportunity, and new levels. You’re
going to take your seat at the King’s table and see the goodness of God in
amazing ways.
BLESSED IN THE DARKNESS 