This past month I celebrated my birthday; my 46th, to be exact! Birthdays come whether you want them to or not! One of the things that I have noticed over the last few years is that my perspective on life is changing. I find myself looking at situations through a lens of past experience. If you are over 40 years old, you probably know what I am talking about. If you are under 40, then read this article carefully. Hopefully, it will offer you some perspective that will help to minimize the stress in your life.

One of the lessons I am learning is that God often uses bad times to accomplish good. Of course, we shouldn’t be surprised at this; it is exactly what the Bible 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.” Romans 8:28 (NIV)

I was reminded of this important truth as I was preparing to teach my Tuesday night New Testament Literature class for the Real Bible Institute. As I reviewed the history of the end of the Old Testament age I was reminded that God is working.

Captivity in Babylon, an extremely terrifying event, was God chastening His people for disobedience. In a series of poor choices, the nation of Judah was literally wiped out. Their best and brightest were taken to Babylon while the city and temple were destroyed. From a human perspective, the worship of Yahweh was finished; the secular gods of Babylon had conquered. Of course, we know that that was not the case, but the people of that time were not able to skip ahead and read the rest of the story. God certainly did not leave his people without hope: again and again he reminded them that this time of judgment would come to an end and they would be restored to their homeland. Again and again he told them that what would happen would serve a purpose: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

I was impressed by the way that God used Babylonian captivity to set the stage for the coming of Christ and the birth of the church. The dispersion of the Jews around the world is known as the Diaspora. Prior to their exile, the Jewish people were located in Palestine. Even after the exile. When given the opportunity to return to Palestine, many continued to live in other lands. This dispersion of Jews in cities around the Roman world facilitated the spreading of the Gospel and the expansion of the church.

When the temple was destroyed, formal corporate worship as the Jews had known it ceased. A new type of structure for corporate worship sprang into existence, serving as a tangible focal point for worship: the synagogue was born. It has kept Jewish faith alive and provided a place for religious training and education. Amazingly, this captivity-born institution became the launching pad for the gospel and New Testament church hundreds of years later.

The number of scribes also expanded during the exile. The marginalization of the priesthood after the destruction of the temple created a new class of Bible scholars who taught, copied, and interpreted Jewish law for the people. God used their ministry to influence His people. One famous scribe, Ezra, was used along with Nehemiah and others to bring revival to God’s people (Nehemiah 8-9). In fact, many use Ezra as a model for modern day expository preaching (Nehemiah 8:8).

Lastly, God cured His people of the habitual sin of idolatry, which had plagued the nation since its inception in Exodus 32:15.

If you are facing hard times, I encourage you to put aside worry, discouragement, and frustration so that you can embrace God’s direction and turn to Him. Your difficulty may be His way of getting you to focus on Him or preparation for something He wants to do through you. While this may not be easy (it rarely is), God is working!