Devotionals

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#11—Misery Loves Company
We’ve all been miserable at some point in our lives. You know, the kind of cheerless condition that cries out, “Leave me alone!” What we really mean is, “Find me someone I can complain to!” We don’t usually really want to be isolated when we’re down—we want comfort. We may feel at the time that running away, even if it’s just to the recesses of our mind or the ephemeral world of our fantasies, will bring us happiness. But God alone can bring lasting comfort.
There are two main reasons for misery: things don’t go the way we expect, or we don’t go the way God expects. There are varying degrees of misery, but they all stem from these two causes. Sicknesses, accidents, family problems, climatological catastrophes, financial failure—these are examples of the first cause of misery. All instances of the latter cause of misery can be summed up in one word: sin.
We all have, or at one time had, our dreams, aspirations, and goals. We rarely include disaster in our plans for our happy lives. We get so starry-eyed when that dream job comes along, or that future spouse steps into our path, that we discount or ignore the possibility that something could go wrong. When it does, we feel disappointed, hurt, and often helpless. We struggle to find that which will restore our happiness.
Our misery bubbles up from our expectations that all the things we desire will make us happy. Previous lessons debunked that notion and pointed us to the source of all satisfaction and contentment, Jesus Christ. Even when misery overwhelms us, His promises stand as an anchor for the soul. This is why Paul could present one of the great Christian paradoxes in 2 Corinthians 6:10, that we are “sorrowful, yet always rejoicing.”

“Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall” (Psalm 55:22).
“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you”
(1 Peter 5:7).
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows” (2 Corinthians 1:3 5).
“Would your wealth or even all your mighty efforts sustain you so you would not be in distress?” (Job 36:19).
“I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the LORD sustains me” (Psalm 3:5).

God promises comfort to those who are His and are burdened by outside forces. But He also promises affliction to those who sin against Him. Only those afflictions are designed to bring the sinner back to Him.
Every good parent disciplines his children, in order to make them better persons. It is the foolish parent who tries to protect his children from the consequences of disobedience. As Herbert Spencer has said, “The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly is to fill the world with fools.” Better yet, God says, “Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far from him” (Proverbs 22:15). God does not let His children wallow in sinful behavior; He brings misery into their lives in order to call them back to Him.

“Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the LORD your God disciplines you” (Deuteronomy 8:5).
“‘My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his child.’ Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. If you are not disciplined . . . then you are not legitimate children at all. God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it” (Hebrews 12:5-11).

Yes, misery loves company. And that company is God. When the hard times come, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8).

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