As 2020 began we made plans, laid down goals and time frames within which we wanted to achieve them yet just two months into the year it all changed. Everything slowed down, plans postponed or completely derailed. This reminds me of that scripture in proverbs 16:9 which I learnt as a child but never really thought much of it. ‘Man makes plans in his heart but it is the Lord who establishes them.’ Never has this word ever been so real in our lives. This tells us we ought to learn how to pray that our plans be in line with God’s will even as we make them.
When what we know changes so abruptly or trouble hits it tends to destabilize us as humans. We get shaken, feel lost and even frustrated.
Haven’t we all been shaken in one way or another? Trying to find meaning in all this? You know. Personally my way of dealing with crisis is to retreat and reflect. A sort of trying to regroup if you would. See, doing this gives me a sense of security like I am in control. It’s only natural to panic and try to find balance when your foundation is disturbed and you are toppling. Like the man on quicksand you fight to clutch at that straw.
In my hibernation for the past month and a half or so, I have read extensively, listened to various speakers and in my grappling to find meaning and balance in all these I learnt this one truth.
That the things of this world; pleasures, wealth, money, relationships are shifting shadows. They can change anytime. Infact things always change nothing stays the same. One person said the only constant thing in the world is change. For instance in my childhood I went to a public primary school and as it were those days despite the building structures being permanent with brick walls, the floors were uncemented. In order to keep the dust in check we regularly applied cow’s dung on them. Years later the thought of touching cow dung is strange even repulsive yet back then it was a norm and no one thought anything of it.
Right now we are experiencing a drastic change from what used to be normal. And therefore living in the uncertainty of this pandemic we have worried, asked questions and even tried to answer them. Questions about why this is happening. Is it God’s doing, the devil’s or a scientific experiment gone wrong? Are we going to be okay? When is it going to end? Will things go back to normal again? How will we recover lost time, finances or even get on track with our goals?
Job struggled with similar questions in his time of crisis and uncertainty. The bible says in 1 Corinthians 10:11 that these things happened to them(that came before us) that we may learn from them. The book of Job was written for a time such as this.
I am here to remind us as God told Job. He had not brought answers to Job’s questions but that He was the answer. In reality there are things beyond human comprehension and God doesn’t explain them to us. The bible says in Deuteronomy 29:29 the secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us.
Here are a few truths we can learn from Job concerning God and crises.
1.God already knew and foresaw this pandemic happening in the world.
2.He allowed it for His purposes. Various outcomes from this situation fit perfectly into and push God’s agenda and purposes for His kingdom.
3.This whole thing is working in lives of different individuals for various reasons such as to test, transform, shape and touch lives of others.
More importantly in the midst of all this, the greatest revelation is not figuring out the vaccine to the virus but rather all things can change but the Lord God who is and always has been is the only unchanging and certainty we have.
The implication is, for us to be truly grounded and be assured in times of trouble is to stand on solid ground as opposed to sinking sand. Whereas the world and all it has to offer like money, relationships even life itself on earth is changing and temporal God is not. He is the firm foundation we are seeking in this life. The security we look for in wealth, the unconditional love we are searching for in relationships, the happiness we seek in pleasure and the assured loyalty we want in a spouse.
That’s why Jesus spoke of the parable of the wise and foolish builders in Mathew 7:24-27. The wise one built his house on a rock and when the storm came and beat against it, it did not fall. It was anchored on a solid steady place. The foolish one built his on sand and the torrent washed away the sand leaving it to crash down. Trusting in God, believing His word and living it is being built on the right foundation that is firm.
James puts it another way calling these things shifting shadows that cannot be relied upon. They are here now there later in James 1:16-17. In the previous verses James talks about a man blessed being the one who perseveres under trial and is not led to sin in such times James 1:12 therefore they have hope of eternal life. Tying this to the verse 16 and 17 he shows that this kind of man stands firm because he is focused on the father of heavenly lights(the father of true light) instead of shifting shadows that won’t hold.
When you put your trust in your ability to protect yourself, possessions, job, desires and pleasures you are standing on sinking sand. You are looking at a shifting shadow that will sooner move leaving you hanging instead of the light which is consistent. This light is not the sun or moon which rise and set but one that is constant. The creator of these other lights we see. He is the father of heavenly lights.
Having a relationship with God through christ Jesus is the only certain thing in life. Jesus the word is the solid rock, the firm foundation upon which one is built to stand the storms of life. In Christ Jesus we are grounded, unafraid of uncertainties of life on earth and in death we are assured of continuity of life eternally. Outside Christ we are afraid, emotionally and physically destabilised by changing life circumstances and in death fearful of judgement and eternal damnation
The way I see it, there are two choices; the one where you loose either way or the other where you win either way.
Be greatly blessed. Share with a friend or like. Drop a comment below and let’s sharpen one another.
Love muchly,
Liz
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