Have you ever found yourself in a mess and then wondered how you got there? It might have been something you did yourself or possibly something someone else did to get you there. Either way, you are sitting in a mess and you begin to wonder where God is in all of it. Does He know you’re there? Does He even care? Will He help you get out of it if you’re the reason you’re there in the first place?
This sound like the questions King David was asking in Psalm 13. “How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever? How long will you hide Your face from me?” [Psalm 13:1] Many times it is hard to see God in a situation. We feel forgotten or worse yet, like He’s aware but just doesn’t care.
Fortunately for us, God isn’t like us. He doesn’t think like us and He doesn’t work like us [Isaiah 55:8]. He is a loving God and He is where our help comes from [Psalm 121]. One thing I have found to be true of the Lord, He is seldom early, but He is never late. God’s timing is perfect. When it looks like He has forgotten us, He is working behind the scenes. He will deliver us.
Genesis 20 tells us of how Abraham and Sarah found themselves in a situation with the King of Gerar. They got themselves into the mess by making a bad decision. Abraham told Sarah to lie to the king about her identity and tell him she was Abraham’s sister. He had already pulled this stunt once before and it didn’t turn out to be wise [Genesis 12:13]. Apparently, Abraham, the father of the nation of Israel and many other nations, is a slow learner. Abraham’s choice to lie led to Sarah telling a lie to support his and that led to God’s wrath heading toward King Abimelech for not knowing the truth and make decisions based on the lies he was told. Now that’s a mess. The king had taken Sarah to be his wife. How were they going to get out of this one?
Fortunately, God works all things together for good for those who love Him [Romans 8:28]. He came in a dream to King Abimelech and told him what had happened. Luckily for Gerar and their king, he hadn’t touched Sarah, so he could send her and Abraham on their way and all would be forgiven. Otherwise, the wrath of God would have wiped him out.
What’s going on in your life right now? Are you in a difficult situation? Is it because of poor choices you’ve made or some another has made for you? Maybe you had nothing to do with it, however, you landed there and you need to get out. Trust in the Lord who loves you more than His own life [Romans 5:8]. He may be working in ways you are unaware of and your deliverance is imminent. Remember, our faith is in the man, Jesus Christ, not in our circumstance.