Someday It Will All Make Sense
As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and the end of the age?” (Matthew 24:3 NIV).
It is the ultimate question: “When is Jesus coming back?” Over 2,000 years ago, the disciples asked the same question we do today. One thing I love most about God is that His truth is timeless. How nice would it have been if Jesus said, “I will be back on X date, at X time, and this is exactly how, when and where.” But instead, He gave the disciples (and us) just what we needed to know. Do you think the disciples felt satisfied with Jesus’ explanation? If they were anything like me, they would have felt like His coming back was as clear as mud. I used to tell God I wanted details so I could plan and know what to expect, but God said, “I don’t need your plan; I just want your trust.”
Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see (Hebrews 11:1).
God has taught me how to trust Him over the past 13 years. (Yes, it’s been a journey, friends!) He used the miracle of life to open my eyes to this scary concept of letting go and surrendering my control. You have this tiny human in your body for nine months and feel so close, yet you have no idea of their size, hair color (or if they have hair), and sometimes whether it’s a boy or girl. Even with modern technology, you must trust that they are growing the way they should. And then comes the due date … and nothing happens… Yet another moment that I have zero control over.
Ten days past the due date, and it’s finally “go” time. The original birth plan was thrown out the window the second a real contraction hit—and all of a sudden, the reality of becoming a mother was upon me. “What am I doing? I am only 21. Can I be a good mom? What if I fail?” This was before I knew God and hadn’t invited Jesus into my life yet, but God was faithful even when I wasn’t. He used a kind nurse who could see the look of terror on a young mother’s face, and she said, “It’s going to be okay, just trust me and listen to my voice and we’ll do it together.” There was peace; I could take my eyes off my lack and put my trust in this confident, equipped woman. Hours later, my sweet little boy made his appearance, and what a moment it was! I finally laid eyes on him and could kiss his beautiful face, and I realized it was worth the wait.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take (Proverbs 3:5-6).
The moment Jesus returns, it will all make sense and be worth the wait. The joy that I felt seeing my son’s face for the first time will be nothing compared to seeing Jesus face to face. Just think of being able to kiss the face of the King who died so we could live. It cannot be described. It would be easier to know the exact time, but learning to trust our Father and His timing will not only build our faith but will be a light to those that don’t even know His heart yet. Let’s be people who surrender our control and place our trust in a heavenly Father who orchestrated our lives long before the world was created, for He is timeless.
God Doesn’t Work by Coincidence
FEBRUARY 7, 2023
“He has made everything beautiful in its time.” Ecclesiastes 3:11a (NLV)
I nervously typed up the email and reviewed it a few more times for accuracy.
For more than a year, I had been working on this new project. But now I knew it was time to trust God, move forward and spread the word rather than continue to let fear and procrastination keep me stuck.
As my fingers hovered hesitantly over the keyboard, I finally hit the “send” button. And off it went. A sense of anxiousness came over me but was quickly interrupted by a quiet voice stirring in my spirit.
What is today’s date, Tracie? God whispered.
Perplexed, I glanced at the calendar and was instantly taken aback. It was not until that very moment that my eyes were opened and I realized the significance of the date.
It had been exactly seven years, to the day, since my 26-year marriage imploded and my entire life turned upside down. My thoughts were instantly drawn back to the painful memories, overwhelming emotions and crippling fears that had brought me to my knees on that unforgettable, traumatic day seven years ago.
But God quickly shifted my thoughts and helped me refocus. I certainly hadn’t planned on kicking off my new business project on this particular day, and at first I thought, It’s just a coincidence. But was it?
As I pondered this, God calmed my anxiousness and gently reminded me that over the past seven years, He had turned my life around completely, exchanged my sadness for joy, and transformed my pain into purpose. In His perfect timing, He had brought me to a place where I never thought I would find myself — healed, restored and filled with passion for a purpose I never even imagined.
I immediately recalled how, in Scripture, the number seven often symbolizes a sense of fullness or completeness. In fact, throughout the Bible, the number seven appears 735 times, and it often references the holy works of God, repeatedly serving as proof of the perfection and beauty God orchestrates.
In today’s key verse, we read that “[God] has made everything beautiful in its time” (Ecclesiastes 3:11). This verse reminds us that all things are crafted by God — including time. He is behind all things and the way they will turn out. It also reminds us that everything happens exactly when it should. Not by chance or irony but by a divine plan beyond our comprehension.
On this day ordained by God, after experiencing a devastating heartbreak I thought I’d never recover from, I stepped out in faith, pushed past my insecurities and pursued a dream God laid on my heart. I had no idea this was the day God had appointed for me to take this leap of faith. But it was. Certainly not a coincidence, this had been planned long before my time on earth even began.
My faith soared, and this evidence of God’s sovereignty reminded me to put all my trust in Him for all things. Always. Why?
Because nothing is random with God.
He had been divinely orchestrating behind the scenes to turn my ashes into beauty, in His perfect timing, exactly seven years later.
God is in the process of perfectly planning out your life as well, in a way only He can. Trust that He is in the details, and believe with all your heart that one day you’ll see His perfect plan for you fall into place.
I promise it will cause your heart and your faith to soar.
Streams in the Desert – February 7
- 20237 Feb
Why art thou cast down, O my soul (Ps. 43:5).
Is there ever any ground to be cast down? There are two reasons, but only two. If we are as yet unconverted, we have ground to be cast down; or if we have been converted and live in sin, then we are rightly cast down.
But except for these two things there is no ground to be cast down, for all else may be brought before God in prayer with supplication and thanksgiving. And regarding all our necessities, all our difficulties, all our trials, we may exercise faith in the power of God, and in the love of God.
“Hope thou in God.” Oh, remember this: There is never a time when we may not hope in God. Whatever our necessities, however great our difficulties, and though to all appearance help is impossible, yet our business is to hope in God, and it will be found that it is not in vain. In the Lord’s own time help will come.
Oh, the hundreds, yea, the thousands of times that I have found it thus within the past seventy years and four months! When it seemed impossible that help could come, help did come; for God has His own resources. He is not confined. In ten thousand different ways, and at ten thousand different times God may help us.
Our business is to spread our cases before the Lord, in childlike simplicity to pour out all our heart before God, saying, “I do not deserve that Thou shouldst hear me and answer my requests, but for the sake of my precious Lord Jesus; for His sake answer my prayer, and give me grace quietly to wait till it please Thee to answer my prayer. For I believe Thou wilt do it in Thine own time and way.”
“For I shall yet praise him.” More prayer, more exercise of faith, more patient waiting, and the result will be blessing, abundant blessing. Thus I have found it many hundreds of times, and therefore I continually say to myself, “Hope thou in God.”
–George Mueller
Today’s Devotions
February 7
Exodus 15:2-3 2The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him. 3The LORD is a warrior; the LORD is his name.
The Israelites are now praising again. The enemy is washing up on the shores, and they are free. But are they? They have escaped Egypt, but the system and ideas of Egypt are not yet out of them. The Egyptian army is dead, but the nation of Egypt will rise again and harass Israel. This is a perfect picture of us when we are delivered from sin. We are out of the world (positionally), but the Spirit of God will continue to get the world out of us through our experiences in life as we walk with Him (experientially).
They have learned that the LORD is their strength, though when they get to the border of the Promised Land, they will think they are not strong enough, completely forgetting this lesson. May the LORD help us remember that He is our strength!
He is our song! The joy that bubbles up in melodies of praise is the LORD. He is the song on my lips and in my heart. He is my joy, for He has become my salvation. Who is my salvation? Jesus! He has freed me from my enemy. He defeated death, hell, and the grave. That should always be our song and praise, as we exalt the One who has done for us what we could not do for ourselves. The mightiest Warrior is with me. Why should I fear an enemy? If God is for me, who can be against me?
Consider: Let the LORD be the song that rises up in you.