What Are You Going To Do When Your World Falls Apart?

"For man also knoweth not his time: as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare; so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them."
Ecclesiastes 9:12

"Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand."
Ephesians 6:13

Evil Days

Part of human nature causes us to build our own little worlds. Some people spend their entire lives constructing their worlds, which revolve around themselves. We think we are in control of our lives, circumstances and events. We plan and think that things will turn out a certain way. We never take into consideration the uncertainties of life. We think everything will always be our definition of perfect.

However, the Bible is still true, and the greatest source of information about life. The rain still falls on the just and the unjust. Whether we know it or not, whether we expect it or not, to everyone there comes an Evil Day. The Evil Day is one in which everything we hope for fails. It is when your world falls apart. It is when everything goes wrong, and we think that nothing good will ever happen.

Everyday, thousands experience Evil Days, most of the time the rest of us do not care, just as long as it is not happening to us. But, your Evil Day is coming, too. No amount of plotting, scheming or evading can prevent it from coming to you. It’s arrival is as certain as your death. You cannot avoid it. Most people will experience many Evil Days, some more than others.

What will you do?

Since you know that you will have Evil Days, you must ask yourself, what are you going to do when it comes? What will you do when your world falls apart? What will you do when life doesn’t turn out like you think it should? When your child becomes ill, or even dies. That’s your world falling apart. Your world falls apart when your parents become ill, and die. When a sibling becomes ill, you lose your job, your spouse dies, your spouse leaves you—all of these are examples of one’s world falling apart.

Do not think that it will never happen to you, because it could, and some of it will.

The Evil Day comes and shatters all of your hopes and dreams. It’s never wrong to have these goals, hopes and dreams, but what if something prevents them from becoming a reality? Will you go insane? Will you react foolishly?

What you can do

Here are some things that you can do to prepare for the Evil Day, and to take you through it.

Get in the Word of God. No other one thing will help you more than this. It will prepare you for it, and it will keep you on the right path when it does come.

Stand. Follow Ephesians 6:13, and stand for something. Stand up for what you believe in; stand up for what is right. Get involved in a cause that is bigger than you or I, and just stand!

Find a strong, Bible-believing church, and stay there. Don’t hop from place to place, find a good one and stay there. When trouble comes, don’t use it as excuse to quit on God, stay in church!

Listen to your pastor. God placed him in that position for a reason. He can help you, if nothing else, through the preaching of the Word of God.

Let God be real to you. Don’t make God some little fairy tale creature, that you only believe in when you are sick or in trouble. Have a real, daily relationship with Christ, and follow him.

(c) 2007 Ray Perdue/Swamp Fox Files [The preceding article originally appeared on The Swamp Fox Files on February 15, 2007.]