A TIMELESS TIME TABLE

A TIMELESS TIME TABLE

 

One of the hardest lessons for us as God’s people is to trust in the Lord. It is easy on paper. It is easy when things are going well. It is easy when we are telling others to do it. But when the moment of truth arrives at our front door and comes in, it is altogether another story. As I write these very lines, I am reminded of my own unresolved problems that must be faced as I wait on God. Do I have the brazen assurance as a child of God that God will come through? Do you dear reader? Our lives are consistent with the inconsistent. When God told us we, “walk by faith and not by sight” He indeed said a mouthful! Let me ask a question. What kind of disposition do you possess when the winds are contrary in your life? Do you have a sanguine calmness and peace? Are you affrighted? Are you angry? More specifically, are you angry with God? After all, He told me He would take care of me, right? I am His child, right? This situation that now engulfs me seems to go against all that God has ever said.

I want to invite you to a story in the Bible that we’re all too familiar with. God saw our need for this story so He put it in the Bible for all time. You, my friend, may be at a moment in time where you desperately need this story. You may now, or soon may be, in a situation that seems to go against all sense. Let me encourage you to keep reading, for you will be better prepared at the end of this article to face the very thing you cannot face right now.

The time has now come for God to deliver His people from the awful oppression of Egyptian bondage. God has prepared His man Moses for the task. Moses is very insecure so God assures him He is with Him by the signs he will perform. Let’s fast-forward to the matter at hand. At the end of Exodus chapter 4, we read, “Then Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel. And Aaron spoke all the words which the Lord had spoken to Moses. Then he did the signs in the sight of the people. So the people believed; and when they heard that the Lord had visited the children of Israel and that He had looked on their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped” (Exodus 4: 29-31).  So far so good. Aaron, no doubt, enthusiastically, spoke to the people what God had spoken to Moses and even did signs in their sight. I’m sure the optimism was high after this encounter. Have you dear friend listened to a sermon, read scripture about the promises of God and were encouraged? I’m sure we’ve all been there. But as we are about to see, life comes and brings about a seemingly contradiction in our own experience. This is where the wrestling match of our faith begins.

In chapter 5, Moses and Aaron confront Pharaoh and tell him what God has said. Pharaoh is enraged. He responds questioning who the Lord is. He then makes things worse for God’s people. They are now responsible to meet the quota of bricks but now they are to get their own straw. But wait a minute! Aaron, you and Moses told us what God said and we saw the signs confirming it! And now things are worse for us! Listen to the specifics: “Then, as they came out from Pharaoh, they met Moses and Aaron who stood there to meet them. And they said to them, ‘Let the Lord look on you and judge, because you have made us abhorrent in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants, to put a sword in their hands to kill us.’ So Moses returned to the Lord and said, ‘Lord why have you brought trouble on this people? Why is it you have sent me? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has done evil to this people; neither have You delivered Your people at all’” (Exodus 5: 20-23). The people are incensed and turn on Moses and Aaron. Moses grows despondent and blames God for the supposedly failed outcome. Their problem is our problem. We always have it figured out how God is supposed to do things. Even when we have His word and His “signs”, we conclude it should be a certain way. And, more importantly, we think God should do it in our time. But God never has and never will work the way we think He should and when He should. This is very important to comprehend. Because the date may come and pass and God has not moved. The prayers prayed may result in another outcome. Things may even get worse for a while. And God may take another day, another month, or another year. We are all subject to the very same thing the Jews and Moses experienced if we don’t settle these things in our minds. When God doesn’t do it the way we think He should or in the time we think He ought to act, we need to understand that God has a higher purpose. Every time! The Jews and Moses’ mistake are all too common. They, like us, conclude what we think God should do and when He should do it. All of our problems and solutions should be neatly packed so when the time comes, we can unpack them and find our desirable outcome just as we think they should be. I said God has a higher purpose always. But friend, He also has a higher purpose for you! This is why we have a plethora of scriptures affirming this point. You know them! “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and lean not to your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths” (Proverbs 3: 5-6). The Psalmist says, “I believe that I should look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord” (Psalm 27: 13-14)!

As we continue on in the story, God did eventually deliver His people. What was before them was plagues and a Red Sea. The plagues to defy their (the Egyptians and Pharaoh) so-called gods; and the Red Sea to destroy their enemies for good! While they were longing for their deliverance, God wasn’t through working out His plan. So, the next time life throws you a curve ball, remember that the Lord has a higher purpose for you. God’s dealings are always based on His infinite knowledge and wisdom. What we see and experience today, is not always the whole story. The script is continuing to be played out. And this knowledge will give us the right perspective every time! Write it on the tablets of your hearts my friend, God has: A TIMELESS TIME TABLE!

~Stacey Mobley