3 Strategies When Troubles Pile OnSýnishorn

STRATEGY #1

I vividly remember one overwhelming day in my life, years ago. My traveling minister husband was on the road and I was working from home, trying to meet a deadline, when I received not one but two phone calls from collection departments to tell me we were behind in paying our bills.

Almost immediately following the second call, I got a call from my son’s school saying he was in the office panicking because he had forgotten to bring an important homework assignment due that day.

So I drove to the school (and I admit it – I was stewing over those phone calls, wondering how I was going to pay those bills, plus fuming at my forgetful son who had interrupted my day). I delivered the forgotten assignment, drove back home, and as I approached the house, I saw a note on the front door.

It was from Animal Control, and it stated that my dog (last seen in the fenced backyard) had been reported loose and taken away by the dog catcher. I could come get him (for a tidy fee) at the shelter across town.

It was too much! I cried out, “Lord, help me, this is too much!” And suddenly I remembered a scripture that I’d heard in a recent sermon: At destruction and famine, you shall LAUGH (Job 5:22). Then I remembered James 1:2 which says, Count it all JOY when you fall into various trials…

So you know what I did? I stood there on my front porch and I laughed! It was the last thing I felt like doing. But I was in a tight spot, and I knew the only way out was to get supernatural help from my Father God. So I decided to do things His way. I said, “Devil, you’ve overplayed your hand. You can’t scare me. I’m counting it all joy and my God will deliver us!”

My laughter sounded a little bit like a robot at first: “Ha, ha, ha.” But pretty soon it started bubbling up inside me for real, and I laughed until I cried (literally). And God’s peace swept over me. I knew it would be okay. Long story short: money came in, bills got paid, my son got an A and the dog got rescued from the pound.

Strategy #1 – as strange as it seems, when trouble piles on, go ahead and laugh! Count it all joy! When you do, you put supernatural principles into motion.