A Biblical Perspective on Life’s Ups and Downs

Countless challenges arise from the battle with cancer. I witnessed many of them as I walked with my mom during her almost five-year war with the disease. The up and down nature of the illness proved most difficult for me, leading my heart on a strenuous roller coaster ride. One morning she gabbed on the phone to her friends; the next morning she could barely speak due to excruciating mouth sores. One day she danced around the living room; the next day she could barely get out of bed. One week her doctor said her tumor markers were down; the next week they were up again. I was thankful for the good moments, but weary of the fact they often slipped away to hardship again.

Maybe you can relate. Maybe you tire of the up and down nature of your marriage, of fighting a chronic illness, of parenting teens, of the job search, of swiping right and still not meeting anyone. Perhaps like me you sometimes find it difficult to trust God through all this up and down, when what seems like an answered prayer becomes a prayer request once again. When your spouse agrees to counseling on Wednesday, but threatens divorce on Saturday. When another migraine attacks after you started taking new medication. When connecting with your teen suddenly turns into disrespect and withdrawal. When you finally get a job interview, but not the job offer. When you actually meet for a date, but neither of you thinks the other is that great. How do we persevere with hope and joy when the good news so often turns discouraging again? 

Joseph’s Roller Coaster

Perhaps one answer is found in the life of Joseph (Gen 37-50). Favored by his dad, but hated by his brothers, Joseph’s home-life seems a mix from the beginning. At age seventeen, his circumstances worsen when, because of jealousy, his brothers throw him in a well, conspiring to banish him forever from their lives. Over the next thirteen years Joseph would experience a mix of great hardship and hope. For instance, his brothers spare his life, but sell him into slavery. He finds favor with Potiphar, but then Potiphar’s wife falsely accuses him of rape and he’s thrown into prison. Joseph, though, finds favor with the head jailer, and hope continues to rise after he does a favor for a cellmate who promises to remember him once he’s released. But then two years pass without a word with Joseph still imprisoned. Finally, one day Pharaoh calls upon Joseph to interpret a dream, which results in his release and elevation to second in command over Egypt.

I wonder if in all those years Joseph ever tired of the ups and downs. While we can’t know for sure what Joseph’s emotional response was to his roller coaster of experiences, we do read of a steady truth during those years, “The Lord was with Joseph” (Gen 39:2). As the story unfolds, we see that God’s being with Joseph directly connects to him prospering in his place of pain. Though betrayed, enslaved, falsely accused, imprisoned, and seemingly forgotten, not all hope was lost. God was at work. 

An Active Presence

In Scripture, God’s presence often carries the idea of His activity. He is not passively present, but actively moving on behalf of His people. His nearness then assures us that the story (of which we are a part) isn’t finished. God is working, and the good ending is yet to come. This is not a promise that all will be made well this side of heaven. It is a confirmation that there is good to be experienced even if everything is not yet fully remedied. As Paul puts it, “God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who have been called according to His purpose” (Rom 8:28). By resting in the truth of God’s presence, even when we cannot sense Him, we can find hope and joy, knowing that He is at work, laboring for our good in and through the rocky relationships, recurring physical ailments, and unfulfilled longings.

Furthermore, there is often a connection between God’s presence and His strength. For example, when Joshua begins to battle for the Promised Land, God says, “Be strong and courageous. Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go” (Josh 1:9). My mom clung to this passage in her battle with cancer. It’s easy for fear to rise when awaiting the most recent CT scan results, facing a new chemotherapy drug, or suffering severe side effects. But as she walked into the chemo lab each week, she often reminded herself that she was not alone, that God was with her. And in so doing, she found strength to endure, exuding joy and hope despite her fears. It was not about her mustering up her own strength, but about looking to the One whose strength never wanes and who delights to show Himself strong on our behalf (2 Chron 16:9).

Good News That Never Changes

Lastly, while Joseph could not have conceived of the gift of God in Jesus Christ, we know that there is good news that will never turn to bad news. Our salvation is sure, guaranteed, unwavering. Our sins have been forgiven, and we have a glorious inheritance to come. It is good news that will never disappoint, never fade, and we need never fear losing.

So in the midst of all the ups and downs of life, God’s nearness and work in our lives proves a constant we can count on. We may not always feel His presence, but we can reflect on this reality until our hearts begin to fill with peace, strength, and hope. Because of the finished work of Christ, we can have confidence in this truth, for He Himself has said, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matt 28:20).