We've been exploring Romans 12:12 in which Paul instructs the church to be "joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer" (NIV). On last week we explored the importance of being "patient in affliction". Our ability to be patient as we endure the trials of life is imperative. Because there are so many facets to explore as it relates to our ability to be patient as we endure, we are going to further explore this instruction before we move on and explore the importance of our ability to be faithful in prayer.

 

As we've journeyed this series thus far, we've expounded on the stories of the Hebrew Boys, Daniel, Job, Joseph, Naomi, and David, amongst many others. And in doing so, there is an aha moment as it concerns the stories of Joseph and Daniel and their ability to be joyful in hope and patient in affliction. Let's Explore.

 

"Pharaoh said to Joseph, 'I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.' 'I cannot do it,” Joseph replied to Pharaoh, 'but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.”

-Genesis 41:15-16 (NIV)

"Arioch took Daniel to the king at once and said, 'I have found a man among the exiles from Judah who can tell the king what his dream means.' The king asked Daniel (also called Belteshazzar), 'Are you able to tell me what I saw in my dream and interpret it?' Daniel replied, 'No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about, but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries. He has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in days to come. 
Your dream and the visions that passed through your mind as you were lying in bed are these:"

-Daniel 2:25-28 (NIV)

 

In thinking about the stories of both Joseph and Daniel, it caused me to really reflect on their ability to be used amidst affliction. Both Joseph and Daniel had experienced unfavorable circumstances but even amidst those circumstances, they never lost their reverence for God and they never lost sight of what it was that God could do. Consider the fact that both Joseph and Daniel ended up having to interpret dreams for earthly authorities who did not serve nor worship their God but was shown the power that their God had through what He did through them. And that brings us to these thoughts....

 

Thought #1 The Plan of Being Used Amidst Affliction  _____________________

 

Consider it not a coincidence that both Joseph and Daniel wound up being in a land not their own, due to no fault of their own. Joseph was carried off to Egypt after his brothers sold him to Ishmaelites who then took him there. Daniel was an exile from Judah who was taken to Babylon (because of Jerusalem and Judah's unfaithfulness toward God, He allowed them to be taken into captivity by Nebuchadnezzar). Joseph and Daniel did not voluntarily go to these unfamiliar places. Most importantly, upon finding themselves there, they did not conform to the surroundings that they were placed in. They both remained faithful to God, never lost their honor for God, and never stop worshipping God. Even those who knew them were aware that they were loyal to God and God alone. God favored them both and made sure that people recognized that His hands were upon them. Now let's stop right here and reflect.

 

How many times have you found yourself in an unfamiliar place, facing a trial that you didn't care to face. And because this trial was one that you were placed in due to no fault of your own, you got "in your feelings" trying to figure out how could God allow this unfortunate and unfair thing to be inflicted upon you. You tried to brush it off and have faith that God would work it out, but you wrestled with understanding how could having faith and trusting God have caused everything in your life to seem like it was turning against you. In your truth, you felt a little betrayed by God. And because you couldn't share your truth with anyone else 
concerning your feeling like God had turned His back on you, you decided to take a break from everybody, including God. 

 

At times, circumstances can be so heavy and seem so unbearable that before we can pray and stand firm, we fall into our emotions with an unwavering thought of "how could God leave me hanging?". And we stay there for so long that we don't only give up on ourselves, but we give up on God because where we are seems like a dead end with no possibility of turnaround. We at times can get to a point in which God fighting for us seems like nothing more than a hoop dream because instead of winning battles it seems like wars are constantly waging against us. At times, no matter how hard we try, some of us might not be able to find encouragement from those bible stories because they only make us more vexed when we consider the fact that God delivered the Hebrew Boys out of a fiery furnace, shut the mouth of lions' to protect Daniel, and allowed David to slay Goliath yet all you might be asking God for is not to lose your job, to allow your tuition to be paid, to allow your offer to be accepted, to turn around the diagnosis, to help you pay your car insurance, or to save your relationship, yet it seems like GOD IS NOT MOVING! How in the world can God do all of these impossible things in the bible yet in your life, in what you consider a "small circumstance", it seems like God WILL NOT BUDGE!

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It is interesting that when faced with difficulty, many of us wholeheartedly believe that God might be testing us but instead of standing firm on that belief, we become shaken because we ponder and wrestle with the thought of "why did God have to do it like that?!" God knew that we were trying with all our heart so why does it seem like He is putting more weight on us the more we cast our cares upon Him? Should the burden not get lighter? "Lord if you're just going to place another weight on me for each care that I cast upon you, then what is the point?" ........

             

                                                                        The point is that HE CHOSE YOU!

 

Jacob had eleven other sons that God could have chosen to place into a pit and put in prison. There were other exiles from Judah besides Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego whom God could have chosen to be amongst those who were appointed to be in service to Nebuchadnezzar. BUT GOD CHOSE WHOM HE CHOSE! And affliction they surely experienced. However, God knew what was in them and He placed them in the pit, prison, lions' den, and fiery furnace in order to push out what He put in them. God knew that they were capable of standing firm and being a testament to His power. And we are no
different. The only difference is that they were willing to fully trust God and they were able to see the God in their circumstance. If we can master these two attributes, we can act with boldness, courage, and persistence just as they did. 

 

If we reflect back on Joseph and Daniel, God used them to make His power known to those who considered Him to be just another god like all the others. It was in God working through them that these kings had to take a step back and recognize that there was a God above their god and this other God had power that their gods simply did not have. This other God was a true and living God. This other God was a blessing to them although they knew Him not. If we really reflect on it, God saved Egypt.

As powerful as Egypt might have been, it was God warning Pharaoh of what was to come through the dream that He allowed Joseph to interpret for him that allowed them to plan and prepare for what lied ahead. In the same sense, it was through the dream that God allowed Daniel to interpret for Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, that gave Him warning and insight into what was to come. These non-believers were blessed because there was a believer amidst them that God was working through to let them know that there was a God known as Almighty who could do all things and had ALL POWER, AUTHORITY, DOMINION, SOVEREIGNTY, KNOWLEDGE, and WISDOM in His hands. Although we won't expound on it now, trust that God had an intent for preparing Egypt for this famine and He also had an intent as it concerns Nebuchadnezzar.

 

If we focus on Joseph and Daniel's circumstances, it is easy to put the pit, the prison, and the lions' den as the center point. While we expressed that God chose Joseph to be the one to have to experience the pit and prison and while we discussed that God chose Daniel and the Hebrew Boys to be the ones that God chose to have to endure the lions' den and the fiery furnace, the bigger picture and the facet that we fail to acknowledge above the affliction itself is that God chose Joseph to rule over Egypt, He chose Daniel to rule over the entire province of Babylon and the wise men, and He chose Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to be administrators over the province of Babylon. The goal was the promotion, the affliction was just the path that led to it, and the purpose was for the glory of God. And if we really dissect what God was doing, God was sending His chosen ones, those who wholeheartedly trusted and believed in Him, those who reverenced and proclaimed His name, to rule over nations that did not follow, believe in, nor worship Him. God was placing His own servants to rule over land that belonged to other kings who believed in other gods. Yet these other kings trusted who God had sent their way because they recognized that Joseph, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego's God was "the real deal".

 

Even those who worshipped other gods recognized who was the God of wealth, victory, prosperity, healing, protection, and safety. Yet we with our sanctified selves, who believe in God and proclaim His name to others, struggle to believe that "WE LACK NOTHING"! These kings and people who did not worship God had a full assurance in what He could do but we, even in singing our hymns and doing our shout, second guess if GOD WILL DO IT! Pharaoh did not hesitate to put Joseph in charge of his kingdom because he had full assurance that Joseph's God could deliver. In Joseph interpreting the dream for Pharaoh and instructing him as to how to approach what lied ahead, Genesis 41:37-38 reads, "The plan seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his officials. So Pharaoh asked them, “Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?” (NIV). Pharaoh might have served and worshipped other gods but recognize that he was not placing the future of his kingdom in the hands of his god. Pharaoh was securing his kingdom by trusting the God of Joseph to keep and sustain them. And Pharaoh and all of Egypt honored Joseph even upon his death, until a new king came into power.

 

We must understand how imperative it is that we look past the affliction and look to God so that we don't step out of what God is trying to place us in as a means of promoting us and allowing His glory to be shown through us. But can't God promote and bless us without making it so hard?! Yes, He can. But if His Son had to take those stripes to set us free, trust that we too are going to have a cross to bear. 

 

God gave the Israelites manna and He will provide for us as well without us having to toil in order to receive it. But there are some blessings that are going to only come through pit, fiery furnace, and lions' den. God will bless us with things as a means of sustaining us. God will give us manna. But when God has a message to deliver and He needs His power to be recognized on a grand scale, it is going to have to come through a center stage experience in which others will be able to witness what God can do, not by hearing the story but by seeing it for themselves. 

 

We heard the story of manna but Moses, Aaron, and the Israelites that journeyed in the wilderness experienced it. They saw it with their own eyes. God was showing them who He was to them. God was personally showing them His power. God was personally showing them that He was their provider. God was personally testing them and trying to teach them obedience. However, when there is a lesson or work that God wants to be recognized that is beyond you and involves others coming into the realization of who and what He is and what He can do, God will put us in a different arena so that others can witness what it is that He does. What God did for Joseph, Daniel, and the Hebrew Boys were all things that others could bear witness to. 

 

Joseph's father and siblings, Potiphar, Potiphar's wife, the prison guard, the baker, the cupbearer, Pharoah, and all of Egypt could bear witness to some facet of Joseph's life and what he endured. 

 

Nebuchadnezzar, King Darius, the administrators and governors, and all of Babylon could bear witness to some facet of Daniel's life. They all could bear witness to how God used Daniel to interpret dreams or how God rescued him from the lions' den. 

 

Nebuchadnezzar, the Chaldeans, all of the administrators, officials, and governors, and all of Babylon could bear witness to how the Hebrew Boys came out of the fiery furnace UNHARMED! 

 

While God can do it, "JUST LIKE THAT", He sometimes has to allow the fuel to be added to the fire so that His glory is illuminated higher than the flames themselves. And even above the greater promotions that He bestowed upon Joseph, Daniel, and the Hebrew Boys, there were far greater plans that were to the benefit of us all. Although we won't expound on it now, God did not just choose Joseph to rule over Egypt but also consider the tribes of Israel. It was Joseph's sons Manasseh and 
Ephraim that Jacob took as his own and bestowed the blessing upon them that God had promised him, his father Isaac, and his grandfather, Abraham. God does not halve do anything. He is a God of completion who connects every string and fiber to establish His perfect plan. 

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Thought #2 The Importance and Purpose of Patience   ____________________

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"My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.

But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing."

-James 1:2-4 (NKJV)

 

God does not test us for the sake of seeing us suffer. God does not test us as a punishment. But God tests us with the intent of growing and maturing us. God tests us with the intent of molding us into who and what He has destined us to become. God does not want us to bow in defeat as we endure, but He wants us to be able to stand firm on His Word. In order to be able to stand on God's Word, we are going to have to trust what His Word says. We are going to have to trust whatever it is that God has personally told us. And for many of us this is where our dilemma arises... 

 

We might with our whole hearts believe that God most definitely brought the Hebrew Boys out of the fire, but when we are the ones feeling the heat, that belief becomes buried in the pain of our "NOW". It is interesting that many of us without doubt believe every single miracle that God performed in the bible, yet when it comes to our own circumstances, for some reason, we cannot grasp that God still performs miracles that we too have access to. As ancient as those bible stories are, GOD HAS NOT AGED NOR HAS HE LOST HIS POWER! God is still in the business of "WATCH ME WORK"! However, the reason that many of us don't personally witness and acknowledge these miracles in our own lives is because we quite too often are not placing ourselves in a position to see God work.

 

When faced with what we don't want to see or deal with, many of us have a habit of trying to run from our trials and God too. There are many of us who might even convince ourselves that we have given our burden to God when in actuality, what we've really done is ignored what we were facing as a means of not having to respond to or act upon it. We on the outside are saying, "I gave it to God", but what we are really doing is detouring and delaying our facing the giant in front of us. 

 

Understand that giving our burdens to God does not mean that we are not going to have to endure them. Giving our burdens to God means that we place them in His hands and trust Him to handle them in whatever way and by whatever means He sees fit. There are some burdens that we will put in God's hands and when we walk away, we will no longer have to address the issue and will simply depend on Him to work it out. If we consider Joseph, he did not go on a manhunt seeking out his brothers so that he could get revenge on them for what they had done to him. Joseph gave it to God, kept it moving, and let God handle it. Joseph did not go and try to get revenge on Potiphar's wife for her lying on him and having him thrown into prison. Joseph gave it to God, kept it moving, and let God handle it. There might be people that have wronged us or situations that we face in which we will have to put it in God's hands and be done with it. We'll have to stop trying to defend ourselves, avenge ourselves, and fix the problem, and choose to wait on God and trust Him to do it for us. 

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However, please understand that there are some things that even when we take it to God, although He is going to handle it for us, it is not going to immediately pause nor halt whatever it is that we are facing. Daniel gave his woes to God but was still placed in the lions' den. There are some burdens that we will take to God and He will indeed handle them for us but we will still have to stay in the broken relationship, the bad work environment, in the class of the hostile teacher, work on the group assignment with the lazy classmate, deal with the church leader with the poor leadership skills, and deal with the disloyal friend, as we wait for God to handle it. Casting our cares on God is not going to always result in a "no place like home" experience in which we give our burdens to God, click our heels together, and are placed back in our place of comfort. Much like Dorothy, we are going to have to first take that journey into the unknown and deal with the unexpected. However, if we root ourselves in God in the way that we should, we might just receive a sound mind, find some courage, and learn to love as we endure. There are some cares that we will cast upon God, and we will see immediate results both naturally and spiritually and then there are some cares that we cast upon Him that will makes us feel like we did not pray at all because the change will not be instant nor visible.

 

James told us that the testing of our faith produces patience and that we should allow patience to be perfected within us as we endure. However, our problem is that too many of us give up before our patience can be fully developed. In part two of, "We Cannot Relinquish", while we discussed the importance of being patient in affliction, we did not define what patience is.

Let's explore some of these definitions.

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Patience is defined as:

• the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset,

• the ability to endure difficult or undesired long-term circumstances, 

• the ability to wait, or to continue doing something despite difficulties, or to suffer without complaining or becoming annoyed,

• the ability to stay calm and accept a delay or something annoying without complaining,

• the ability to remain calm and not become annoyed when dealing with problems or with difficult people,

• *Patience involves resilience and tolerance.

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Note that none of these definitions of patience suggest that...

• we won't hurt,

• we won't have pain,

• we won't be disappointed,

• we won't have tears,

• we won't be saddened,

• or that we won't be anguished.

Having patience is not going to stop us from having feelings. Patience helps us to handle what we feel with a certain level of tolerance. Patience helps us to persist. Patience helps us to endure. Patience helps us to be resilient. If we define what resilience means, it has some attributes that overlap with what it means to be patient.

 

Resilient is defined as:

• the ability to be happy, successful, etc. again after something difficult or bad has happened,

• the ability of people or things to recover quickly after something unpleasant, such as shock, injury,

• the ability to adapt and even thrive after a traumatic experience,

• the ability to recover from some shock or disturbance,

• capable of withstanding shock without permanent deformation or rupture.

 

If we explore how patience and resilience work together, patience deals with the in the moment aspect of what we endure and resilience deals with the aftermath and outcome of what we face. If we consider Joseph, he was able to endure a prolonged period of upset and disappointments. He was able to endure long periods of unfortunate circumstances. And he did so without acting in anger or losing his calm. He remained diligent throughout all that he endured. HE WAS PATIENT. Each time that Joseph faced a hardship, he did not allow that hardship to defeat him, but he kept pushing forward from the pit, to being sold, to being lied on, and on to being imprisoned. HE WAS RESILIENT.

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Now if we reflect back on James 1:2-4, which tells us to count it all joy when we endure various trials with an acknowledgement that the testing of our faith produces patience, Joseph found joy and security in the fact that though his circumstances might have been troublesome, what he endured was the will of God. Joseph understood that God was using him for a purpose far greater than his pain. In Genesis 50:20, Joseph tells his brothers, "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is NOW being done, the saving of many lives" (NIV). It took some time and a whole lot of hardship for Joseph to get to that NOW, but he patiently endured and waited on God to make all things well. 

 

Let's reflect on Psalm 33:10-11, which states, "The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples. The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations" (NIV). Man will always have their plans. Egypt had their plans. Babylon had their plans. Pharaoh had his plans. Nebuchadnezzar had his plans. King Darius had his plans. Joseph's brothers had their plans. Potiphar's wife had her plans. The administrators who falsely accused Daniel had their plans. The Chaldeans who hated on the Hebrew Boys had their plans. But regardless of what any of their plans might have been, God frustrated all of their plans and put HIS PLAN IN PLACE!

 

What God does lasts and remains firm. And not only does it last and remains firm but God always has a bigger plan and picture in mind. God always has a full scope of the impact that His plans, His counsel, and His purpose will have not just on the individual that is the subject of His plan but on every other living thing that exists. God knew why He chose Joseph. God knew why He chose Daniel. God knew why He chose Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. AND GOD KNOWS WHY HE CHOSE YOU! And because GOD KNOWS, YOU ARE TO FEAR NOT! YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORRY! GOD DOES NOT FAIL! YOU CANNOT LOSE!

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It is difficult to be mishandled, thrown into a pit, lied on, and not fight back. It is extremely difficult to see flames rising and not run from them. It is extremely difficult to know that a ferocious beast lies in wait and still take the path that you know that the beast lies on. It can be extremely difficult to trust God when what you are going through is so burdensome that it seems like God is not there. However, our ability to trust God is crucial.

 

If we reflect back on "Guidance Part 2", we expounded on the miracle of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. When Jesus instructed Martha to remove the stone that laid on the entrance of the tomb, she was hesitant because she considered how long Lazarus had laid there and thought that there would be an odor. But Jesus says to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” (John 11:40, NIV). Jesus was about to perform a miracle that would show people the power of God that worked through him as the Son. Martha had faith that if Jesus had been there, her brother would not have died. To many, it might have seemed like Jesus arrived too late. But Martha says something that is of extreme importance. Although she told Jesus that had he been there her brother would not have died, the next thing that she says is, "But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask” (John 11:22, NIV).

 

Martha had faith in who Jesus was and in what God could do but even after making such a bold affirmation of faith, when Jesus instructed her to remove the stone from the tomb, she in that moment based on her natural understanding and knowledge of what she was dealing with, was hesitant to open up the tomb and let Jesus in. In considering how long Lazarus had lay in the tomb, Martha was concerned about the odor. However, Jesus quickly reverts her thinking back into a faith mindset by reminding her of what he told her. Jesus reminded her that if she believed, she would see the glory of God. He was reminding Martha that if she believed, she would see the manifestation of the very thing that she hoped for which was to have her brother alive and well. 

 

Many of us lose all hope when we think that God is late on arrival. When the worst-case scenario occurs, when the pit happens, when we are placed in the fiery furnace and the lions' den, we often consider God to be too late. Our hope was that God would have prevented our being placed in these unfortunate places. But if we can come to grasp and understand that God is unorthodox and does things by His glory and for His glory, we'd recognize that God is never late and His opportunity to show His power is never lost because He does not have to depend on and wait for opportunity because He orchestrates all things. 

 

There are many of us who wholeheartedly have faith in God and what He can do but when we experience that worst-case scenario and allow our focus to shift to our natural understanding of things, much like Martha, we start to speak to human nature and not God power. That is why Jesus reminded Martha that she had to believe. Jesus was not going to allow Martha to forget what he had told her. He was not going to allow her to abandon her faith. It was important that Martha kept believing that in the hands of God, all things remain possible. It was almost as if Jesus was telling Martha, "DON'T YOU DOUBT ME NOW!" She had come too far by faith. Immediately after Jesus makes Martha aware that she could not waver in her belief, they go ahead and remove the stone from the tomb. Jesus then looks up and says, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me” (John 11:41-42, NIV). Jesus then commands Lazarus to "come out!" and LAZARUS DOES JUST THAT!

 

Consider everything that we've discussed...

 

Joseph was thrown into a pit, sold, lied on, and imprisoned...

it seemed like God was not on time

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Daniel was plotted against. He prayed about it, was falsely accused, and then thrown into the lions' den...

it seemed like God was not on time

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were hated on, snitched on, bound, and thrown into a fiery furnace...

it seemed like God was not on time

Lazarus was sick with an illness. Lazarus died...

it seemed like God was not on time

Jesus was rejected, blasphemed, slandered, ridiculed, betrayed, falsely accused, crucified, and died...

         it seemed like God was not on time  --->

 

HOWEVER...

 

• Joseph was the ruler over all of Egypt and the father of Manasseh and Ephraim whom Jacob took as his own.

• Daniel interpreted dreams for kings and ruled over Babylon.

• Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, were appointed as administrators over the province of Babylon and was then promoted even higher.

• Lazarus rose from the dead.

• Jesus rose, overcame all, and now sits on the throne next to His father, with all power and authority in his hands.

 

All of these victories occurred after what seemed like the worst-case scenarios.

All of these victories occurred not at the point of affliction but after these individuals had suffered through their afflictions.

ALL OF THESE VICTORIES OCCURRED AFTER THESE INDIVIDUALS HAD ENDURED!

 

And Concerning the Glory of God...

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• Concerning Joseph [God's faithfulness to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and to David were manifested through His fulfillment of what He had promised.]​

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• Concerning Daniel and the Hebrew Boys [Those who did not serve or worship God reverenced Him for who He was and protected Daniel's and the Hebrew Boys' right to not bow to any other God besides their own. Those who served other gods came to the defense of the God of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Both Nebuchadnezzar and King Darius made their kingdoms reverence God for who He was. Nebuchadnezzar ordered that anyone regardless of nationality or language who spoke against God were to be cut into pieces and have their homes destroyed. King Darius ordered that people in every part of his kingdom had to fear and reverence God.]​

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• Concerning Lazarus [Those who witnessed the miracle of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead believed in who Jesus was. This both shook and angered the Pharisees and the chief priests, thus furthering their plot to kill him.]

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• Concerning Jesus, our Master, Lord, and Savior, the one and only final sacrifice for us all [HE WON IT ALL! Jesus overcame all things and now rests, rules, and abides over all things. It is in and through his name that we can slay giants, move mountains, and proclaim victory over whatever stands before us. Jesus' victories and successes have no end! Through Jesus, we have access to his Father through salvation which was freely given to us by grace through faith because of God's love and compassion for us.]

 

IN OTHER WORDS, AS CATASTROPHIC, UNTIMELY, and UNFORTUNATE as it might have seemed, GOD WAS RIGHT ON TIME! The blessing came AFTER THE AFFLICTION, but that was God's plan! All of these individuals had afflictions that they came out of to the glory of God. It does not matter how long these individuals endured, the point is that they CAME OUT! WE TOO CAN COME OUT, but we first have to be willing enough to TRUST GOD TO TAKE US IN AND HELP US THROUGH, SO THAT HE CAN BRING US OUT!

 

Whatever it is that God has promised you, no matter how bad it gets, imagine Jesus standing in front of you saying, "DID I NOT TELL YOU THAT IF YOU BELEIVE, YOU WILL SEE THE GLORY OF GOD?" As you face the trials of life, reality at times will hit you and it will hit you hard. You are going to have those very natural emotions of fear, pain, and discouragement amongst many others. You might even feel abandoned and worn out from the fight. But don't you dare forget what God has said to you! HOLD ON TO IT AND DON'T LET GO because it is your pathway "OUT" of whatever you are in.

 

God is not always going to make Himself known to you when you want Him to. God is not always going to respond when you want Him to. God is not always going to prevent the worst-case scenario from occurring. In many cases, He is going to wait until it's beyond worst-case before He answers. It is not always God who has to reveal Himself to us, but we are the ones who have to take a step back from whatever is standing against us and seek Him. Before He reveals Himself to us, we are going to have to be present enough to dwell in Him. We are going to have to dwell in that "Secret Place" that Psalm 91 reminds us that we have access to. MOST IMPORTANTLY, we have to remember that GOD IS ALWAYS THERE!

 

• Through the pit, being sold, lied on, and imprisoned, GOD NEVER LEFT Joseph. He kept His hands on him and gave him favor.

• Through loss, turmoil, and trauma, GOD NEVER LEFT JOB though He seemed invisible. God placed a limit and boundaries on what He allowed satan to inflict upon him.

• Through the fire, GOD NEVER LEFT the Hebrew Boys. He sent His angel to walk with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego amidst the fire.

• In the lions' den, GOD NEVER LEFT DANIEL. He sent His angel to shut the mouths of the lions.

 

Even when God might not be visible to us, TRUST THAT HE IS IN THE MIDST OF WHATEVER WE ARE IN. BETTER YET, GOD IS THE ONE WHO ORCHESTRATED IT! GOD DOES NOT MISS A BEAT! HE DOES NOT FLINCH. HE DOES NOT BLINK! HE DOES NOT SLEEP! HE IS OUR GUARDIAN WATCHMAN THAT REMAINS FULLY AWARE AND KNOWLEDGEABLE OF ALL THINGS!
THAT MEANS THAT NO MATTER WHAT, WE ALWAYS WIN. BUT WE MUST BELIEVE WHAT GOD HAS SAID! TRUST AND BELIEVE THAT THERE IS GLORY IN YOUR AFFLICTION!