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Have you ever found yourself in a desperate situation, so much so that you had absolutely no clue of how you were going to get out of it? Have you been repeating the same prayers to God over and over again, begging him to pull you from the quicksand and plant your feet on solid ground? Without hesitation, I can tell you unequivocally that I have. In fact, I’m there right now.
Being totally transparent with you, I have been pleading with God to step in and liberate me from my undesirable state of affairs—things that are causing me physical harm, anxiety, and loss of sleep. I have also felt angry at God when it appears that He has been ignoring my pleas and, according to my best estimates, is extremely late in coming to my rescue. And that is exactly the lie that the devil wants me to believe. Have you ever been there? I suspect so.
Let’s face it, God knows that our days won’t always be filled with sunshine and roses. But at the same time, He also reminds us that we are not alone in our daily struggles, and for my troubled soul and yours, that is the purest of gold: “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.” (Isaiah 43:2 NIV)
Do you need another divine affirmation that God has your back? “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33 NIV)
For me personally and just when it felt that God wasn’t listening, didn’t care, or that He was on vacation, things began to change in very surprising ways. As I type these words, I am still trying to make sense of how God very suddenly began to clear obstacles out of the way when I was about to give up hope. Just yesterday, my wife sent me an Instagram post that said this: “Not all storms come to destroy your life. Some come to clear your path.”
I believe that there is a great deal of truth in that statement, especially when you consider the idea that God does have a plan, especially when it feels like there is no way out. I quickly began to realize that God was using the storms in my life to clear the path to better days ahead, as evidenced by one of my favourite bible verses: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3: 5,6 NIV)
In case you missed it, the point that I’m trying to make is this. GOD IS NEVER LATE, and when you feel hopeless, lost, sad, and hurting, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will step in at the perfect time and do what’s best for you. Stay the course and never lose faith: “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5 NIV)
Paul Smyth
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