November 15

Isn’t it maddening when something goes awry and you’re trying your hardest to get things straightened out, and some so-called friends take the opportunity to gloat over your discomfiture! Oh, they don’t do it overtly. They coyly feign concern and empathy, but underlying their façade is glee that you’re in a fix.

Micah 7:8 has a beautiful word of encouragement for the individual who is down and knows those around him are rejoicing in his plummet from a height of success or accomplishment. It says, “Rejoice not over me, O, mine enemy! For when I fall, I shall arise. When I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me.”

The reality is that ups and downs are inevitable in life. The old saying, ‘the bigger they are, the harder they fall,’ has a lot of truth. It’s also true that the bigger they are, the more people who are hoping that they fall! Envy is often directed at those whose successes exceed our own.

But we have an assurance in Proverbs 3:26 that says, “The Lord shall be your confidence, and He shall keep your foot from being caught in a snare.” Although we cannot always depend on friends and we cannot even be confident in ourselves, we may always know beyond doubting that Jesus is there for us