Oh, how quickly things can change! On the morning of September 11, 2001, we woke up to a new world, a world in which the reality of terrorism had become a “clear and present danger,” and a world in which we would all be living with few of the certainties that we had grown accustomed to. But then, without much notice, confidence in many areas of our society slowly returned, and by the close of 2019, the stock market was yielding  unprecedented gains, unemployment was at record lows, and small businesses were sprouting and blooming. But before the ball dropped in Times Square to usher in 2020, COVID-19 was already spreading in China, poised to strike across oceans and continents, with infections showing up in virtually every country on Earth.

And as the death toll in America due to the virus rose to over 110,000, those who had escaped infection began to get used to the changes in “social behavior.” And as we began to get used to the “new normal,” we were rocked once again as injustice and racism reared their ugly heads showing us the despicable side of human nature. As I’ve mentioned in previous blogs, God is certainly trying to tell us some things about our nation and about ourselves. God is surely speaking, but the real question remains, “Are we listening?”  

I’d like to take us back almost 3,500 years to the time of Israel’s exodus from Egypt. If you recall, God working through His servant Moses had virtually destroyed the land of Egypt by consuming them with the “10 plagues” that “devoured the land.” After “plundering” the Egyptians as they left Egypt, the music played loudly, and their songs of triumph resounded up and down the river of Israelites on their way to the Promised Land. Their spirits were high, and in fact, the Scriptures say that the “Children of Israel went out boldly” (Ex. 14:8).  The Hebrew word for “boldly” suggests being “raised up” and “confident,” but it could also mean to “exalt oneself,” or that other word we are more used to, “pride.”

But things quickly turned against them when they realized that Pharaoh’s heart had once again become hardened, and that he and his army began to chase after the over-confident Israelites. And so, when a new difficulty presented itself, the “boldness” of the Israelites turned to “fear” in a matter of seconds. Then they cried out to Moses (and to God) saying,

“It would have been better for us to continue as slaves in Egypt than to die here in the wilderness” (Ex. 14:12).  

Now, I’m going to paraphrase a little bit, so please allow me some leeway. Moses, a man of great faith, told the people,

“Don’t fear! I know that we are in a seemingly impossible situation. Mountains on either side of us, the sea stretching out ahead of us, and the Egyptian army bearing down on us from behind. I know that it looks like we are trapped in an inescapable cul-de-sac. But don’t you remember how God used the ten plagues to get us out of Egypt in the first place? Don’t you recognize the fact that God is up to something? Now just watch and see what He will do” (Ex. 14:13ff).

Moses told the people to look back and remember what God had done in the past, and to be confident that He would deliver them again as they faced new difficulty ahead of them. And once again, God was up to something, preparing to show the Israelites something that only could have happened being trapped in that cul-de-sac.

And I believe that He is using the current circumstances in our world, in our country, and in our own lives for a purpose. We surely don’t like the disruption in our schedules and former way of life, but let’s be confident that God is up to something, and it is a “good” something. I’m asking each of us to have confidence in God’s ways. The Prophet Isaiah recorded what God told him, saying,

“My thoughts are not your thoughts, and My ways are not your ways” (Is. 55:8).

In other words, God doesn’t think like we think. We think of how difficult our present circumstances are and the misery it is bringing into our lives. But God thinks differently. He sees that the present circumstances as the pathway for something even better ahead. Isaiah continues,

“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My thoughts higher than your thoughts and My ways higher than your ways” (Is. 55:8-9)

God is telling Isaiah, and us, that His ways are better, more significant, and more productive than our ways. He doesn’t waste anything! Why? Because He sees the “big picture.” He sees ahead while we only look at our present circumstances. And this is where trust and confidence come into the picture. We need to trust Him that because His thoughts and ways are “higher” than ours, that He knows what’s best. Just like the title of the old TV series, “Father Knows Best,” so it is with our heavenly Father – He knows best.

Let’s trust Him as we move forward through the summer months and into the fall. Let’s not dwell on what’s happening now. Yes, we’ve got virus issues to be concerned about, but we’ve also got some changes that need to happen in our country in order for it to become “a more perfect union,” as the Preamble to our Constitution states. And, as the prophet Amos exhorted his nation long ago, 

“Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream” (Amos 5:24).

Let’s keep our eyes ahead waiting to see what God has in store for all of us. Whatever it is, I’m confident that He will use it for “good.”