Joel Osteen - Your Greater Is Coming

We all face setbacks in life, things we dont understand. We may have lost a loved one, had a friend walk out of our relationship, or are dealing with an illness. When we go through loss and bad breaks, its easy to think thats the way its always going to be. But our God is a God of restoration. He doesnt stop every difficulty, and He doesnt keep us from every challenge. But He promises He will pay us back for the wrongs. He will restore whats been stolen. David says in Psalm 71, You have allowed me to suffer much hardship, but You will restore me to even greater honor. The suffering is a setup. God allows the difficulty, not to make you miserable but to restore you to greater honor. He never brings you out the same. He makes the enemy pay for bringing the trouble.

When youre in tough times, you need to remind yourself that its not how your story ends. The loneliness, the bad break, or the anxiety is not your destiny. Greater is cominggreater joy, greater strength, greater relationships. The setback in your finances, the contract you lost, or the unfair childhood didnt stop your purpose. Greater opportunities are coming, greater favor is coming, greater influence is coming. The enemy brought the difficulty to set you back, but he didnt realize its setting you up for God to show out in your life. He may have meant it for your harm, but God is turning it to your advantage.

When youre in difficulties, when life doesnt seem fair, youll be tempted to get discouraged and lose your passion. Keep this phrase down in your spirit: Your greater is coming. God didnt bring you this far to leave you. He wouldnt allow the pain if it were going to keep you from your destiny. Its just the opposite; its going to thrust you into your destiny. The apostle Paul says, These light afflictions are for a moment, but they are working in you an eternal weight of glory. The trouble is temporary, but the glory is permanent. The key is to not stay focused on the suffering; stay focused on the glory thats coming. It may be tough now. Life has dealt you an unfair hand, but that suffering is not in vain; its serving a purpose. Its leading you to greater favor, greater anointing, greater victories.

I love Davids attitude. He says, God, You have allowed me to suffer much hardship, but he doesnt stop there. He could have stayed focused on all of his bad breaks and said, God, I dont understand it. Why didnt my father believe in me? Why did he leave me out in the shepherds fields when Samuel came to anoint the next king? Why is King Saul trying to kill me? I havent done anything wrong. Why are all these people slandering me, trying to ruin my reputation? Instead, he says, God, Ive had a lot of bad breaks. Ive suffered much, but I know this: You will restore me to greater honor. He was thanking God for greater in the middle of the difficulty. When youre in tough times, you can either talk about how big the problem is or talk about how big your God is. You can be complaining about the trouble or you can be thanking God that the trouble is only temporary.

If youre going to see the greater, you have to do as David did. In the middle of the suffering, start declaring that greater is coming. If the medical report doesnt look good, while youre taking the treatment you have to say, Father, thank You that greater health is coming. Thank You that the number of my days You will fulfill. Thank You that I will run and not be weary. When youre fighting depression, anxiety, or fear, dont sit around thinking about how youre never going to get better. In the middle of the battle, you have to say, Lord, thank You that greater joy is coming. Thank You that Youre pushing back the forces of darkness. When it seems as though youre stuck in your career and your dream looks impossible, say, Father, thank You that greater favor is coming. Thank You that Youre opening doors that no man can shut, that Youre taking me where I cant go on my own. Your attitude in the suffering is whats going to determine whether you come out with greater or whether you get stuck where you are.