Better Than Bad Days

“But God is my King from long ago; he brings salvation on the earth”
Psalm 74:12

Sunlight burst through the window, causing shadows to dance on the walls. The air outside was crisp, making a cold winter day in the Midwest seem like anything was possible. Even my little girl joined the day’s wonder with her adventurous spirit and contagious laughter. Finally, there was that first little spot of white right under my baby boy’s gum that we had all been waiting for. Although it was a beautiful day, nothing mattered. My heart was heavy, and it all started with a text.

It was unexpected. It wasn’t good. It made my whole world standstill. I stood there holding my phone in complete shock. My head spun. My heart raced. Every human emotion made its way to the surface of my heart. Before I knew it, the dam burst open, and like a flood, the tears came. Why God? Why her? Why now? Cancer? It just didn’t seem fair. Nothing made sense at that moment. And suddenly, a good day somehow turned bad.

There are moments when life seems unfair. Bad news. A failing relationship. A horrible diagnosis. A global pandemic. A broken promise. Suddenly, I find myself standing face to face with the reality that life is hard. Sometimes bad news is inevitable. Bad days exist. Bad things happen. But even in this reality, there is a God who lives to prove bad days wrong.

In Psalm 74, the people of Israel find themselves in a season of not just one but many bad days. However, slapped right in the middle of this chapter, we see two powerful yet simple words – but God! “But God is my King from long ago; he brings salvation on the earth” (v.12). Here, the Psalmist does a 180-degree turn and paints a different picture, one that causes every cloud in the sky to turn back and run. From this point, we see an image of a powerful God. God, who is strong and mighty. God, who causes the earth to tremble. God, who splits open the sea. God, who breaks the heads of monsters. God, who makes seasons and rules the sun and the moon. God, who is always on the throne, even on bad days! He is greater. He is better. Nothing can stop Him. No one can change Him. He is unmatched. He is unstoppable. Darkness should be scared of Him!

No matter how bad the news is, how complicated the situation is, or how hard the season is, there is always hope! No problem or bad day is ever bigger than our God! When we look at who God is and remember what He’s done, our circumstances will look a lot different. Like the Psalmist, we, too, can proclaim that our God reigns with power even on bad days!

Discussion Questions:

1.Think of a bad day you’ve recently had or bad news you’ve recently received. How did you respond and why do you think that was the case?

2.How does knowing that God reigns over bad news and bad days influences your view of Him in light of difficult circumstances?

3.What difficult circumstance do you need to surrender to the Lord, and what specific steps do you need to take in order to do that?