Devotion: In an unfortunate situation?
Written By Dianna Hobbs // Your Daily Cup of Inspiration
What was I doing? Why were my hands on the computer keys?
The only answer my laptop’s black screen offered was that it, too, had gone to sleep. With a click of the mouse pad, both my physical and mental computers woke up and revealed that I had been working on a ministry-related project. Apparently, my exhaustion got the best of me, resulting in an involuntary, albeit much-needed, nap.
Have you ever slipped into a deep sleep and woke up totally disoriented? It takes a moment to figure out simple things like what day it is, what time it is, or even where you are.
In Acts 20:7-12, a young man took an involuntary nap during a church service with fatal consequences. It happened on the end of the Apostle Paul’s third missionary journey in a place called Troas, on the western coast of Asia.
Paul spent a week in Troas before gathering together with the saints on Sunday, the day before he was set to part ways with them. Before saying goodbye, Paul thought it best to impart as much wisdom and insight as he could. And boy did he ever load them up! The Bible says his sermon went on until midnight.
Well, during Paul’s marathon sermon, there was a young man named Eutychus who was sitting in a third story window. Exhausted, he drifted into a deep slumber. It was so deep, in fact, he fell out of the window. Luke, the physician, who is the writer of Acts, said Eutychus died as a result of this fall. There were undoubtedly some eyewitnesses that thought it was over for Eutychus, but it wasn’t. God wasn’t finished with him yet.
Scripture says Paul threw himself over Eutychus’s body, put his arms around the young man and by the power of God, he raised Eutychus back to life. It was a miracle! What a spectacular demonstration of the Lord’s resurrection power. It gave even greater credence to Paul’s teaching and surely bolstered the faith of the saints in Troas.
“You can’t stop setbacks from happening, but you surely can believe that God is using this to set you up for a comeback. It is nowhere near over. The best is yet to come!”
Don’t you just love how this traumatic and unexpected accident turned into a platform for God to do something amazing? What took a turn for the worst one moment, God made it work out for the best in the next moment. That’s just like God, isn’t it? He is a restorer; a healer; a miracle-worker; a provider; a mighty deliver; and a refuge in trouble. What a mighty God we serve!
Interestingly, Eutychus’s name means “fortunate,” and we see here that God turned his unfortunate situation into a fortunate one. The Lord showed incredible mercy and favor to Eutychus. And guess what? He will do the same thing for you. Don’t lose hope. Don’t be discouraged by what you see.
Friend, there are seasons when things suddenly go haywire. Accidents occur. Traumatic situations manifest. You face setbacks. Challenges present themselves. Trouble comes knocking at your door. It happens to each and every one of us at some point. But the good news is, no matter how unfortunate the circumstances, you are fortunate that God, who is all-powerful, is on your side. He can turn any situation around.
To remind you to anticipate great things, even in the toughest situations, I’m stirring Luke 18:27 NIV into your cup of inspiration. It reads, “Jesus replied, ‘What is impossible with man is possible with God.’”
As you drink down the contents of your cup, even if you are going through something unfortunate, know that it’s not over. God has a plan to get glory out of this in a spectacular way!
Now let’s pray.
God, I know You specialize in turning ugly situations into beautiful outcomes and I believe You will do it for me. I believe Your hand is already working in my favor and no matter what it looks like, I know You will get glory out of this. So thank You in advance for the blessings, favor and breakthrough that belong to me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
