My favourite bible lesson is that of Joseph. From the pit to prison, to the palace. We all know the end of his story. We see how God used every adversity to bring him to a place of victory, but when he was in the messy middle he didn’t know how it was all going to end. When Moses was trying to convince Pharaoh to let his people go, enduring the plagues, having to cross the Red Sea, he didn’t know that God would lead the Israelites to the promised land and he would forever be known as a father of faith.
Noah must have had days he was tired of being laughed at by his neighbours. The wait for Abraham to see his promised son must have been difficult to endure. Ruth must have wondered how God could have left her and her mother in law without husbands to care for them, while Esther if there was any other way to save her people other than approach the throne unsummoned and face certain death. We read about the lives of these men and women of the bible knowing the triumphant ending, forgetting that there was a storm in the messy middle which they had to trust God through, without knowing the outcome.
In Luke 14: 25- 32 we read about Peter taking a step of faith towards Jesus in the middle of a storm. He must have been as shocked as everyone watching when he began to walk on water! In fact, he only began to sink when he took his eyes off Jesus to focus on the storm raging around him instead.
Yes, we are in a storm.
A storm that has extended beyond any other, impacting people from every country, religion, and social status. But God always has been, and always will be, in control. He is in the chaos. He sees the end. This too shall pass. While we weather this crazy time, let’s be aware of what we are allowing to shape our perspective and behaviour.
Let’s look for the rainbows, take advantage of opportunities, and try and be a blessing to others in a time when self-preservation, fear and panic brings out the worst of human nature. Let’s trust in the God who has been with His people since the beginning of time, walking in the confidence and assurance that while we are not in control, we know that God is.
While we do not know what tomorrow holds, we DO know Who holds tomorrow.
