seven bowl judgments

How do you decide what is true about God when life doesn’t make sense?

When prayers seem unanswered?

When circumstances are painful?

When God’s plan seems slow?

When people oppose you?

When you expected something very different?

It’s easy to begin interpreting God through what we see.

If life is going well, we assume He’s good.

If life becomes difficult, we may wonder whether He has forgotten us, stopped loving us, or simply isn’t working.

But what if we’re looking through the wrong lens?

The people in Zechariah’s day had returned from captivity with great expectations.

They began rebuilding.

Then the work became difficult.

Opposition came.

Enthusiasm faded.

And they needed to be reminded that their circumstances had not changed God’s promises.

That temptation is still with us.

We can either view God through the lens of our circumstances—

or view our circumstances through the lens of what God has revealed about Himself.

And that choice affects whether we remain faithful or give up.

Then Revelation 16 takes us to one of the most sobering chapters in Scripture.

The seven bowl judgments are poured out.

Pain.

Darkness.

Blood.

Heat.

Earthquakes.

Yet even then, many refuse to repent.

So what keeps a heart soft toward God when life is hard?

And what happens when people continually resist Him?

We’ll look at both today.