It Will Get Better, In His Name

Main Scripture: Job 8:5-7

But if you will look to God
and plead with the Almighty,

if you are pure and upright,
even now he will rouse himself on your behalf
and restore you to your rightful place.

Your beginnings will seem humble, so prosperous will your future be.

Lately, there has been a feeling of hopelessness in the air. Every day, we are seeing crimes more heinous than the last one. Disasters seem to be getting worse and worse. More and more people are finding themselves in more desperate situations. Job stability is a thing of the past. The family unit seems to be non-existent, and church attendance overall seems to be on a decline. The crimes that used to shock us even a year ago barely make a blip on our collective radar. Kids younger and younger are dressing more provocatively and getting involved in more and more adult activities, and are dressing in more and more revealing clothes. More and more, peoples’ finances are out of whack, and more cars are being repossessed, more landlords are evicting their tenants, and more homeowners are losing their homes to foreclosure.

The bottom line is that most people feel that there is no way out of their current situation. They feel trapped in dead-end jobs. They feel that they are never going to get the promotion or recognition they’re looking for. They feel like things just aren’t working out for them, and you can almost hear them crying out “Can I catch a break? When is it my turn?”

What I’m here to tell you is that your turn is here, and your turn is now. There is a way out, and no matter how bleak your situation appears, the best is yet to come. No matter what kind of sickness you are facing, your healing is here. Regardless of the situation you face, today is the day, and now is the time. I’m here to tell you that things WILL get better, but they will only get better if you follow the right path. Things won’t get better by wishing on a star, playing the lottery, or anything along those lines. But if you continue to seek the Kingdom of God, then you will start to see a turnaround. When you seek God, you will have the direction to right your finances. When you seek His face, he will give you the healing that you are seeking. When you go to him, He will give you the resources that you need to keep you from being kicked out of your home or apartment.

When you try to do things your way, in your own mind, then all that can do is dig you deeper and deeper into your situation. God may be telling you to go one way, but in your mind, you think that going in the other direction is where you will find that solution. And while you are looking to find resolution to your situations, or the answers you need, the one question that you need to ask yourself is this: Do you trust God? Do you trust that He will guide you and lead you? Do you trust that when you ask Him to order your steps, that he will place you on the right path? Do you trust Him enough to turn to Him with prayer and praise for the things that you’re looking for? Do you trust him enough to believe that your prayers will change a person, a family, a neighborhood, a city, a country, or even the world?

Well, if you trust him completely, and submit to him completely, then you know that whatever breakthrough you’re looking for, whatever miracle you’re expecting, whatever stronghold that needs to come down, whatever smoke and mirrors the enemy has placed in front of you, whatever obstacles that cross your path, or whatever tests you have to endure, there is a way out. There is HIS way out. It’s not about how smart we are, how much money we have, our jobs, or who we know in the natural realm. When you come to know Jesus, then you know that whatever you’re going through will only get better, and whatever your situation is now, it will only get better.

But then someone may ask “Well, what do I need to do to make things better?” How can I help make things better? What can I do to experience that breakthrough, or pass the test? How can I make sure that God is using me to do His will, and I’m not going from my own limited resources, intellect and “knowledge”?

One thing that we need to understand is that no matter what we do, God wants us to remain humble. When you stay humble, and not try to exalt yourself, you will see that God will lift you up in His time. And when you are humble, God will lift you up even higher than you imagined that you can go.

For example, we can look at the story of Joseph in Genesis, chapters 31-45. Joseph was having dreams, and his brothers didn’t like the concept of bowing down to him. They threw Joseph in the pit, and afterwards, sold him into slavery! But when Joseph was in his master’s house, God was with him, and gave him success in everything he did. That didn’t last too long, because Joseph was seduced by his master’s wife. He refused to be with her, and she made false accusations against him. Because of that, Joseph was thrown in prison. But even in prison, God was with Joseph. God’s favor was upon Joseph so much, that the warden made Joseph in charge of all of the functions in the prison. But God wasn’t through with Joseph yet! Even in the extremely humble situation of going from a slave to a prisoner, God was still with Joseph.

Joseph interpreted dreams for two prisoners, both of whom used to be in Pharaoh’s court. But Pharaoh wasn’t aware of Joseph’s God-given gifts for years, because one of the prisoners broke his promise to tell Pharaoh about how Joseph interpreted THEIR dreams. But when Pharaoh began to have dreams of his own that his council could not interpret, he summoned Joseph. When Joseph was in front of Pharaoh, and Pharaoh asked him to interpret the dream, Joseph immediately gave God the glory by saying, in Genesis 41:16 that he, Joseph, can’t do it. Only God will give Pharaoh the answers that he is looking for. Joseph interpreted the dream, and Pharaoh elevated Joseph to being in charge of all of Egypt!

So we see how God can bring us from our humble beginnings to places that we may only dream of. But we also see that this was possible not because of Joseph’s colorful coat, or his charm and good looks. Because Joseph was a humble man, and obedient to the word of God, he allowed God to work through him. Joseph didn’t take any credit for interpreting the dreams as HE saw fit, he was interpreting the vision that God had given him. If Joseph had put himself on a pedestal, then who is to say WHERE Joseph would have wound up? But because Joseph was a humble man, things got better for him. When he was thrown in the pit, things wound up getting better for him. When he was sold into slavery, things wound up getting better for him. When he was falsely accused and thrown into prison, things ultimately wound up getting better for him, all because he was obedient to God, and continued to give God all the glory.

We can also look at Job of an example of how things will get better. We all know that Job was a righteous man, and the Word tells us that he feared God and shunned evil. We also know that God allowed Job to be tested. Job’s children were killed, his servants were killed, and his house and livestock were either destroyed or stolen. These tests suddenly stripped Job of almost all that he had. His children were gone, his servants were gone, and his livelihood was taken away from him. And before anyone can say that at least Job had his health, Job was stricken with painful sores all over his body. But even after all of that, Job remained obedient to God. Job did not know what was in store for him, but throughout his trials, he did not curse God. He trusted that God will see him through. And when Job passed the test, the Scripture is clear on what happened next. Job 42:10 says “… the Lord made him prosperous again, and gave him twice as much as he had before.” Job 42:12 says “The Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the first.”

Even if you find yourself in a lower position than you had previously, God has provided a way out. When you find yourself in need of healing, God has already provided it! Job had almost everything bad that can happen to you happen, but he did not curse God! He withstood the test, and we saw how things got better for him! Job’s faith remained, despite losing his wealth. His faith remained, despite losing his children! Job still honored God, despite his very health being in danger. Job may not have known how things were going to wind up, but he trusted God! Job didn’t know if he was going to live or die, but he knew to trust in God! And sure enough, Job’s faith was rewarded, and things got better for him. His health was restored, he was blessed with more children, and his wealth was doubled!

We can also look at Moses as an example of how being humble will allow God to make things better for you. In the book of Numbers, Aaron and Miriam were speaking against Moses, asking why God has only spoken through him, and not through anyone else. The Lord Himself came to the Tent of Meeting to speak to Aaron, Miriam, and Moses, and the Word described Moses as being the most humble man on the face of the earth. But even though Moses was humble, God saw fit to speak to Moses directly and clearly, and not in dreams or through riddles (which was the case for God’s prophets). Not only that, but God saw enough of Moses to use him to deliver the children of Israel from bondage. And even though Moses was a great leader, he never forgot that God was the source of his strength. This is exactly how we need to be. We need to be humble enough to recognize that it’s not our own doing that allows things to get better. When we experience blessings, we need to make sure that we acknowledge God, and give Him the praise, the glory, and the honor. Just as God led the children of Israel out of slavery, he will lead us out of bondage. And just as Moses was humble enough to not take credit for being the leader that he was, we have to be humble enough and obedient enough to acknowledge that without God, we wouldn’t be in a position where we can celebrate!

1 Peter 5:6 says “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.” So we see how important it is for us to be humble. If we really expect things to get better in His name, then we have to be obedient to Him. We can’t expect things to get better if we are operating on our own pride, our own sense of self-importance, our own intelligence, or what have you. When we operate in the spiritual realm, and when we are humble, we see that when God says that He’ll lift us up in due time, it’s not time that can be measured by any man-made devices. We can’t use clocks or calendars to measure time as God sees it. Man uses time as a system of measurement, but God is omnipresent… He is everywhere at once, which is why we say He knows the end at the beginning. We may not know when our breakthrough is coming… we may not know when our healing is coming… we may not know when things are going to get better, but God does. We have to hold fast to His promises, and hold fast to our faith in Him. The Apostle Paul tells us that no matter how tired we get, our reward is coming. Galatians 6:10 says “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

Conversely, when we let pride interfere in our lives, we attempt to operate on our own time as to when we expect our blessings. We begin to rely less and less on God’s grace and mercy, and more and more on our own abilities, intellect, and mindset. For example, in the Psalm 10:4, the Word says “In his pride the wicked does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God.” When we don’t allow God to operate in our lives, we try to do what WE think is necessary to bring us through a situation. And more often than not, when we go “our own way”, we wind up worse off than where we were before. Our pride will not allow us to rely on God, or seek His help, because we are SO confident that “our way” is the best course of action. Instead of going in the direction where God will have us go, we go where WE think we need to go. We try to solve our problems with answers that WE think is best, because we are too proud to submit ourselves to the will of God.

Often times, when we get caught up in our own sense of importance, God will break us down. He will find a way to remind us that doing things OUR way isn’t the way to go. Isaiah 11:11-12 says “The eyes of the arrogant man will be humbled and the pride of men brought low; the Lord alone will be exalted in that day. The Lord Almighty has a day in store for all the proud and lofty, for all that is exalted (and they will be humbled).” We can’t allow our pride to distance us from the blessings that God has in store, just because WE are impatient, or because WE think we know what’s best, or because WE think that we’re smart enough to pull ourselves out of our messes without any help. We can’t talk about things getting better in His name if we are too proud to seek Him. The ultimate example of pride distancing you from God can be found the example set by Lucifer. He felt that he was going raise his throne above the stars of God, and make himself like the Most High. But Lucifer’s pride became his downfall, and he was cast out of heaven, with a third of Heaven’s angels with him! Looking at this, we can see that our pride can not only be dangerous to ourselves, but to anyone we influence. We don’t want our pride to be the source of someone else not being willing to turn to God. We don’t want to lead by such a sinful example, and bring about the downfall of others because of our inability to submit and be humble.

But when we are humble, we allow God to work with us. We are more receptive to the fact that it’s His grace and mercy that brings us through. We receive the knowledge that things will get better BECAUSE of him, and not in spite of him. James 4:6-7 says “But he gives us more grace. This is why the Scripture says ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’ Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” Also, Luke 14:11 says “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” So if we are looking for God to move in our lives, we see that humility is a very important requirement.

When we are looking for things to get better, and when we are seeking Him to move in our lives, there is no doubt that He will see us through. Being humble will allow for healing to take place, for breakthroughs to come forth, and being humble can even bring about deliverance for an entire nation. 2 Chronicles 7:14 says “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land.” Now, if God’s word promises that being humble will help bring about a healing to the land, what else is there? That’s why people overall have a sense of hopelessness… there’s no sense of humility in the nation. Once we really get off our own sense of self-importance, and really REALLY rely on God, then we can bear witness to God working in our lives. If we want our families to come together, we have to humble ourselves. If we want to do something about rising crime, we have to humble ourselves. If we want to do something about our neighborhoods decaying, or even more and more soldiers going to war, we have to humble ourselves and seek HIS face.

The great thing about God’s mercy and grace is that they endure forever. No matter how bleak things look, when we rely on Him, He will see us through. We already discussed how God brought Joseph through, and elevated him to being in charge of all of Egypt. But we know that God’s grace and his mercy didn’t stop there. For example, in Acts 12:1-11, we see how the Apostle Peter was imprisoned. In fact, Peter was scheduled to be executed! But the people of God continued to pray for Peter, and God sent an angel to rescue him. Peter himself thought that he was having a vision, but it was no vision… God was moving on behalf of His people, delivering Peter from prison. So we can see how prayer can deliver you! Through prayer, Peter was delivered from prison in a supernatural way, because the church prayed for him! Also, in Acts 16:16-36, we see how things got better for Paul and Silas. They were also in prison, and they were beaten! But they prayed and sang praises to God! God supernaturally used an earthquake to break the chains and open the cells of all the prisoners. But instead of Paul and Silas escaping, God allowed something different to happen. The guard came to see what was going on, and thought that the prisoners had escaped. He was ready to kill himself, but Paul told the guard that no one had left. The guard then asked them “what must I do to be saved?” So we see that through prayer and praise, not only will things get better for US, but also they’ll get better for those around us! Isn’t that how we want to operate? We want to be in a position where others see how God is moving in our lives, and the first thing that THEY do is give God the glory! The guard didn’t ask how Paul and Silas made anything happen. The guard didn’t attribute ANYTHING that happened to Paul and Silas. Instead, this guard knew that the awesome power of God was at work in their lives. And because this guard was aware of this, the first thing he asked was what can HE do to be saved.

Also, when we rely on God’s grace and mercy for things to get better, we should first be appreciative of the blessings that He has already given us. In Matthew 25, starting at the 14^th chapter, Jesus is giving His followers the parable of the talents. In the lesson, Jesus is telling the listeners how the master gave talents to three servants. Two of the servants worked to double what the master had given them, and the third buried what he was given and bore no fruit. To the servants that bore fruit with what the master had given them, the master told them “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come share in your master’s happiness.” So if we are looking for things to get better in His name, we have to make sure that we are working with what God has already given us! If we’re looking for a better job, we need to make sure that we are already performing at our best in the job that He has already given us. If we are praying for an even more effective ministry, we have to make sure that we are bearing fruit with the ministry responsibilities that God has already given us.

And as we talk about things getting better, it’s not just a matter of gaining more material things. Sometimes, we look for things to get better in terms of healing. John 5:1-9 tells us about the invalid. We know that according to Scripture, he paralyzed for 38 years! We also know that the man was trying to get into the pool when the water was stirred, but someone always moved ahead of him. Jesus came to this man and asked him if he wanted to get well. Jesus then told the man to take up his bed and walk, and the man was cured! This man had to wait for 38 years for things to get better. But the moment that he was in the presence of the Lord, he was instantly cured, and he was able to pick up his mat and walk.

Luke 8:43-48 tells us about the woman who was ill for 12 years. She spent years going to the doctors, but they could not find a way to cure her of her bleeding, and this went on for 12 years. Despite the fact that the doctors couldn’t cure her, she believed that all she had to do was touch Jesus’ CLOTHES, she will be healed. And that’s precisely what happened for her. She knew that things would get better for her because of her faith. Her faith was so strong that she knew that Jesus Himself didn’t even have to touch her, or even look at her. All she had to do was get close enough to touch the hem of her garment, and she knew that God will handle the rest!

That’s how our faith should be. Just being in God’s presence is enough for things to get better, for miraculous healings to take place! It happened for the invalid, and it happened for the woman with the issue of blood. It even happened for the centurion who said that all Jesus has to do is SPEAK the centurion’s son’s healing into existence, and the son would be healed. Even the centurion knew that in order for things to get better, you have to have faith. Do we have the faith to speak healing into existence? Do we have the faith to proclaim that things will get better, if we call on Jesus’ name? If not, then it’s something that we definitely need to work on and develop. We’ve been taught that faith is the currency of the supernatural, and in order for things to get better, we have to rely on that faith. That faith has to be there, despite the doctor’s reports. That faith has to be there, despite the rejection letters that companies send you. That faith has to be there, despite everyone doubting your God-ordained business ventures. When we operate in that faith, we are proclaiming that things are not only GOING to get better, but that things have already been accomplished in the supernatural. In the natural, things may look bleak, but in the supernatural, the healing has already been delivered. In the supernatural, the business venture is already bearing fruit. In the supernatural, sinners are already being delivered.

We have to get a complete understanding of what it means when we talk about things “getting better.” We need to understand that God has great things in store for us, and these great things are not just in the natural realm. Psalm 30:5 reminds us that weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning! Deuteronomy 31:8 reminds us that God will never leave us, nor forsake us. Genesis 22:14 proves that God is a provider, if we have faith in Him. Abraham was ready to sacrifice his own son, but God saw how obedient Abraham was, and provided Abraham with a ram to sacrifice. So when we are being obedient, God will provide for us! In fact, we call God “Jehovah Jireh”, because we know that the Lord Will Provide!

More important than anything earthly, though, is the fact that things will get better because we are inheritors of the Kingdom of God! 1 Peter 1:3-4 says “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you.” Hebrews 9:15 tells us “For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.”

Things will get better for us because the moment that we accept Christ into our lives, we will have the gift of eternal life. John 3:16 tells us that whoever believes in God shall not perish, but have eternal life. Romans 6:21-23 tells us that that the things that we did when we were in the world did not gain us anything, but by becoming slaves to God, we reap the reward of eternal life! It tells us that the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. John 4:14 tells us that when we drink from the water Jesus provides, it will become a spring of water welling up to eternal life. Revelation 21:6-7 says “He said to me: ‘It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son.’”

Now we know that things will get better in His name, when we operate in faith, and when we stay humble and continue to work with what God has already given us. But in order to reap the promises of God, we have to stay encouraged! 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 says “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” Even if we grow weary, we know that Christ will restore us! Isaiah 58:11 says “The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame…”, and Isaiah 40:31 tells us “but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not get weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Again, when we submit to God, we allow him to bless us, for as is says in Job 22:21, “Submit to God and be at peace with him; in this way prosperity will come to you.” And remember that no matter what test you are going through, what obstacles you face, what temptations may cross your path, God is there for you, when you are operating in His will. Romans 8:28 says “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

When we know that things will get better in His name, we are using spiritual warfare! We use the weapons that God has given us to tear down the strongholds of the enemy. In Isaiah 59:19 (KJV), the Word tells us that when the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him. When we are operating in faith, and when we are in expectation of things getting better, we should understand that it’s not about how things look now. It’s not about the modest job you have now. It’s not about the income that you have now. It’s not even about the level of health you have now. The enemy wants you to focus on things as they appear in the natural, but the Word tells us that we walk by faith, and not by sight! We can expect persecution, temptations, and tests, but remember that God does not give us more than we can bear.

In closing, we know by faith that things will get better, in His name. We know that we can do all things through Christ, who gives us strength. And finally, we understand that in order for things to get better, we have to know where to look. Matthew 6:33 says “But first seek His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” So while we are waiting for things to get better, the first thing that we ought to be doing is seeking the Kingdom of God.