Light Through The Storm
Text: (Proverbs 24:10; Micah 7:8)
By: Itseghosimhe, Charles
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Proverbs 24:10 “If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small.”
Micah 7:8 “Do not rejoice over me, my enemy; when I fall, I will arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me.”
OPENING: THE HIDDEN TEST OF IDENTITY
Life will always ask us this question in unexpected seasons: “Who are you when everything is falling apart?”
This sermon draws its inspiration from the heart-stirring Praise & Harmony song “I’m So Blessed,” the song says: “I’m so blessed, Hallelujah I’m blessed. On my best day, I’m a child of God. On my worst day, I’m a child of God.”
It’s easy to sing “God is good” when the bank alert drops. But what about when the medical report drops?
When a medical report demands a huge sum of money you don’t yet have, do you catch yourself staring at it over and over, or replaying in your mind what it requires of you?
It’s easy to post “I’m favored” when you get promoted —
but what about when you’re betrayed, misunderstood, or forgotten?
What will be your reaction?
Job 1:20–22 – “Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped. And he said: ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord.’ In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong.”
Job’s day of adversity came like a flood — all in one chapter, everything gone.
Job lost everything — children, property, wealth — yet his response wasn’t fainting, his instinct was worship— it was falling to worship.
He didn’t understand the why, but he knew the Who.
Strength isn’t shouting “Hallelujah” in comfort; it’s whispering “Thank You” through tears.
When you don’t know why things happen, remember Who still reigns.
A Christian businesswoman once lost her entire shop to fire.
When asked why she wasn’t crying, she said, “Tears can’t rebuild this shop, but praise can rebuild my heart.”
She rebuilt from nothing — and testified the next year that the new shop became even bigger.
A contractor who got involved in illegal business deals was eventually betrayed by his partners, losing ₦40 million in the process.
After confessing to the church leaders, taking responsibility, and repenting, he said with calm assurance, “I lost my business, but I didn’t lose my peace.”
He began again with integrity — smaller, slower, but stronger.
Today, he says, “My worst day taught me what fake success couldn’t.”
A respected brother once said, “I thought I trusted God — until I lost my job. That’s when I realized I trusted my salary more than my Savior.”
Who are you when all your investments burn? Do you curse, isolate, retrogress or do you cling back to God?
Brethren, the true test of who we are is not when life is smooth, but when life storms against us.
It’s not when everyone is singing, but when our hearts are breaking.
It’s not when everyone praises us, but when no one stands by us.
On our worst day, when our emotions are fragile and our faith is trembling — the question heaven asks is: “Who are you now?”
Proverbs 24:10 speaks of the day of adversity — our hardest days – our worst days. Let us remember: adversity does not create weakness; it reveals it. It shows whether our faith is built on sand or on solid rock.
Your worst day uncovers what your best day may have hidden. Yet, God allows that exposure not to shame you, but to strengthen and empower you.
That’s the moment that reveals what we truly believe, what we truly value, and Who we belong to.
That song’s truth – “I’m so blessed, Hallelujah I’m blessed. On my best day, I’m a child of God. On my worst day, I’m a child of God” – must become more than lyrics — it must become identity.
WHEN OUR WORST DAY BECOMES GOD’S GREATEST WORK
Peter’s “day of adversity” came in the courtyard when fear overpowered love.
He denied his Lord — his faith fainted. Peter had sworn loyalty but failed when it mattered. He denied Jesus — not once, but thrice. That was his worst day.
But after weeping bitterly, grace restored him.
When Peter denied Jesus three times, his worst day wasn’t the end — it was the doorway to repentance. (Luke 22:54–62).
Luke 22:32 — “But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.”
Even when your strength is small, God’s grace is great.
But after resurrection, Jesus didn’t replace him — He restored him: “Feed My sheep.”
Our worst failures can become God’s greatest platforms if we repent.
A young preacher fell into moral failure – lies, misuses power, betrays trust, through infidelity and deception – left ministry for years out of shame.
But when he confessed openly, repented and encountered God’s forgiveness God used his brokenness to heal others battling addiction and guilt.
Today, his testimony draws more souls than his sermons ever did before.
When shame knocks on our worst days, do we hide from God — or run to Him?
When David fell in sin with Bathsheba, God didn’t erase his name; He rebuilt his heart (Psalm 51:10–12).
David’s worst day was not when Saul hunted him – David didn’t faint under Saul’s persecution — it was when his own sin hunted him – he fainted under his own sin.
His worst day wasn’t external —it was internal.
After adultery and murder, Nathan confronted him, and David broke: “Create in me a clean heart, O God.”
Your worst day can become your cleansing day if you don’t cover sin, but confess it and repent from it.
David refused to stay down. When we remain down after a fall, we allow our worst day to become our end.
A once-respected elder was caught in dishonesty. He humbled himself before the church, accepted discipline, and sought reconciliation.
Years later, he became one of the most compassionate leading influence in that same church — because brokenness taught him grace.
Who are you when you’re the reason for your own pain?
When Elijah hid in the cave depressed and afraid, God whispered — not shouted — to remind him: “You are still Mine” (1 Kings 19:9–18).
Elijah had just called down fire at Mount Carmel, yet one threat from Jezebel sent him running.
He felt useless — “Lord, I’ve had enough!” But God didn’t shout. He whispered.
Sometimes, God’s loudest voice comes in our quietest breakdowns.
When your human strength fails, divine supply begins.
Sometimes God allows you to faint so you’ll stop running on flesh and start running on faith.
You need to know that there is a family of God — like those who did not bow to Baal in Elijah’s days —that God has provided as a support base for us.
During Covid-19 pandemic, a devoted church worker, an usher lost two family members and told one of the church leaders – “I’m still showing up to usher, but I’m dying inside.”
After counseling, he said:
“God didn’t thunder from heaven, but He whispered through people who didn’t give up on me.”
A mother who lost her only child said through tears, “God didn’t stop being Father because I became childless.”
Now she mentors other bereaved women and calls it her “ministry of comfort.”
Who are you when you’re tired, when ministry feels empty, when strength is gone?
OUR VULNERABILITIES DO NOT DISQUALIFY US — THEY REVEAL US
The Apostle Paul wrote: 2 Corinthians 12:9–10 “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”
When Paul prayed for the thorn to be removed, God didn’t remove it — He revealed Himself through it.
Our worst days strip away pretence and performance. They show the real us — and that’s the version God wants to redeem.
When we’re tired and misunderstood, do we still serve?
When our plans collapse, do we still trust?
When we fail morally, do we hide — or do we run back to the Almighty Father?
It’s not what breaks us that defines you, it’s Who we run to when we’re broken.
WHEN DARKNESS TRIES TO RENAME YOU
Satan loves our worst days —because he tries to redefine us through them.
He whispers: “You failed — you’re finished.”
But God says: “You failed — now rise again.”
Eve listened to the wrong voice and lost Eden (Genesis 3).
Job’s wife said, “Curse God and die.” But Job replied, “Shall we accept good from God and not trouble?” (Job 2:10)
Our worst day is the enemy’s opportunity to rename us —
but it is also God’s opportunity to refine us.
WHEN GOD TURNS PITS INTO PLATFORMS
Joseph’s worst days were not a single event — they were a series of betrayals:
- Sold by brothers
- Lied against by Potiphar’s wife
- Forgotten in prison
Yet Genesis 39:21 says: “But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy.”
He was still favored, still anointed, still chosen — even in the pit.
Even when we can’t trace God’s hand, trust His heart.
A graduate prayed for years for employment. Nothing came. He started volunteering at a small NGO.
One day, that same NGO got an international partnership — and he became their project manager. His “waiting season” was his “training season.”
Who are you when you’ve done your best but doors remain closed?
Our current pain does not mean divine absence. God is still in the hardship, shaping our destiny quietly.
The prodigal’s worst day came when he sat with pigs — hungry, filthy, forgotten Luke 15:11–24.
His adversity was self-inflicted. He fell not by attack but by appetite.
But that’s where identity reawakened: “I will arise and go to my father.”
That statement turned weakness into worship, shame into strength.
No matter how far you’ve gone, home is always open.
Your strength begins to grow again the moment you decide to rise.
A young brother confessed, “I almost gave up church because I kept falling into sin.”
But after mentorship, he discovered that grace isn’t a license — it’s oxygen – grace isn’t an excuse to keep falling — it’s the breath that helps you rise and keep living rightly.
He now leads a youth ministry, guiding others on how to rise again after they’ve fallen.
A young man in Lagos addicted to gambling and drugs returned home after years away.
When asked what changed, he said, “When I realized I’m still my father’s son, not the devil’s property.”
Who are you when you’ve wasted the blessings God gave you?
PRACTICAL REFLECTIONS: WHO ARE YOU WHEN…
Let’s ask ourselves:
When that job falls through – when a job offer is withdrawn, the position is canceled, or we don’t get the job after hoping or planning for it — are we still faithful?
When your health fails — do you we praise?
When our names are slandered — do we still walk in commitment, zeal and integrity?
When the money runs out — that moment when our financial resources are depleted and we can no longer rely on them to cover our needs or plans – do we still give to God and trust?
When our plans fail — do we still believe God has a plan?
Psalm 34:18: “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”
LESSONS FROM JESUS’ WORST DAY (Luke 23:34; 46)
On His worst day — the cross — Jesus was betrayed, beaten, mocked, spat on, abandoned.
Yet on that same day He said, “Father, forgive them.” “Into Your hands I commit My spirit.”
Christ showed us that obedience is not proven on your best day but on your worst.
If the Cross was the worst moment, then resurrection was the reward.
Every believer who endures unjust suffering is walking the same path. Every tear that’s offered in faith becomes a seed for joy.
So when life crushes us, remember: our story doesn’t end on Friday; Sunday is coming.
TAKE-HOME TRUTHS
Many believers faint on their worst day not because God failed — but because they neglected the things that build strength before the storm – worst day came.
Just as soldiers don’t train during battle, believers must not wait for crisis to start building faith.
Luke 16:10 — “He who is faithful in little will be faithful in much.”
Faithfulness in prayer today gives you stamina in pain tomorrow.
Praising God during a small setback builds your ability to praise Him in a major trial.
Patience in minor conflicts and misunderstandings prepares you to handle serious quarrels, accusations, and damaging conflicts.
Some of us might say, “I don’t have time for patience! When you give it to me hot, I give it back hot. I don’t care.”
But we often forget that the attitude we show in these small moments shapes how we will respond to the real “hot” on our worst days.
When you serve — teaching, ushering, helping, visiting — you build spiritual stamina.
Ministry – trains your spirit – ministry is not just about giving; it’s about growing. You learn compassion, endurance, and faith — all of which become your survival tools in crisis – in worst days.
CLOSING CHARGE: WHO ARE YOU ON YOUR WORST DAY?
If today were your worst day,
Would heaven still recognize your faith? Would people still see Jesus in you? Would you still call Him “Father”?
Adversity, worst days exposes weakness — but it also invites grace. The fainting moment is not the finishing moment.
Because the truth is — your worst day may be the stage where your faith shines brightest.
“I’m so blessed — on my best day, I’m a child of God.
On my worst day, I’m a child of God.
My identity is not defined by my circumstances, but by my connection to Christ.”
Our prayer and drive should be “Lord, when life hurts, remind us who we are. When we fall, lift us up.
When we doubt, steady our hearts.
When we fail, forgive and renew us. Teach us to know You — not just on our best days, but even more on our worst days in Jesus’ Name, Amen.”
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