Having been a church pastor for almost 22 years provided me
a first-hand eyewitness encounter of God’s ways at work in my life, my family
and many people that I have been privileged of serving. One thing is for sure
that I’ve learned that can never be taken away from me is this: “God never does
things twice!” He has His ways of doing it tailor made for each event and
situation. The main purpose is simply to show everyone that He was involved in
the process of making it happen however impossible it might have been. A
classic example of what God can do in an impossible situation happened to two
people: “And Mary said to the angel,
"How will this be, since I am a virgin?" And the angel answered her,
"The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will
overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy--the Son of
God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth
in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with
her who was called barren. For nothing
will be impossible with God" (Luke 1:35-37 ESV).
In spite of the many illustrations in the Scriptures, people
are still perplexed at God’s ways. Many are still shaking their heads and
giving up instantaneously when things are out of control. Here’s an
illustration that may relate to your situation and that may also provide
enlightenment: The only survivor of a
shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed
feverishly for God to rescue him. Every day he scanned the horizon for help,
but none seemed forthcoming. Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little
hut out of driftwood to protect himself from the elements, and to store his few
possessions. But then one day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to
find his little hut in flames, the smoke rolling up to the sky. The worst had
happened. Everything was lost. He was stunned with grief and anger.
"God, how could you do this to me?" he cried. Early the next day,
however, he was wakened by the sound of a ship that was approaching the island.
It had come to rescue him. "How did you know I was here?" asked the
weary man of his rescuers. "We saw
your smoke signal," they replied.”
It's easy to get discouraged sometimes when things appear to
be going badly. But we shouldn't lose heart, because God is at work in
our lives, even in the midst of pain and suffering. Remember, next time your
little hut is burning to the ground; it just may be a smoke signal that God
used to answer your need. The prophet Isaiah explained God’s ways: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher
than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your
thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9, ESV). Furthermore,
God never fails to remember His plans and purposes to anyone that trusts Him
wholeheartedly, "For as the rain and
the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the
eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to
me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in
the thing for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:10-11, ESV).
The most important to remember is the fact that as long as
God is in control, nothing will be out of control in our life and must always
maintain the level of one’s faith without doubt in God’s capability. Keep in
mind that if there is one Bible character that experienced the worst that
anyone could ever received and still remained faithful to God, it was Job. Read
Job’s story as a reminder and you will understand that God has always the final
say in all things pertaining to our life. Thus, whether you are going through
the worst or the best of times, there is always a specific purpose that can
only make sense when seen through the eyes of faith.
Lets’ talk again!
