Where Is God In This Mess?

With the corona virus situation, have you looked around and wondered, “What on earth is going on? God, where are You in all of this?”   

Well, you are not alone in wondering what is going on when everything seems to be falling apart! I Corinthians 10:11 says that the Old Testament was given to us as admonitions (that means examples with lessons) so we would understand how God deals with people.     

Psalm 103:7 tell us that God made known his ways to Moses, His acts to the children of Israel.

Over the years, I have been fascinated by “the ways of God.” And I’ve tried to look at the scriptures with an eye for picking up on the lessons that are hidden in plain sight.

As I was thinking about fear, oppression, injustice, things that don’t make sense, I was reminded of what Moses’s conversation with God in Exodus 5 and 10. 

Moses asked Pharaoh to let God’s people go. However, Pharaoh chose to punish the Israelites by ordering them to make bricks without straw.         

“O Lord, why have you brought trouble upon this people? Is this why you sent me? Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has brought trouble upon this people, and You have not rescued Your people at all.”

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh . . .”

And then in Exodus 10, God said to Moses, “I have hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and the hearts of his officials, so that I may perform these miraculous signs of mine among them, that you may tell your children and grandchildren . . . that I am the Lord.”

Here we catch an insight into God’s methods . . . Pharaoh had subjugated the Israelites in slavery . . . and when it came time for deliverance, God didn’t just wave a magic wand and make everything better—no, He allowed things to get worse to expose Pharaoh’s evil heart and the evil hearts of his officials. And only after that did He bring about justice and deliverance.

I love the statement by the Earl of Warwick in the novel and movie, Black Arrow, written by Robert Louis Stevenson. He said, “It is not enough for justice to be done, justice must be seen to be done.”     

And that is exactly what God did with Pharaoh! And he explained that to Moses.

So, when things are bad and seem to be getting worse in the world or in a personal situation, take a good look behind the scenes. Is God uncovering sin, exposing evil? Be alert to “the rest of the story.” Vengeance and justice belong to the Lord; so, let’s look up—our redemption is getting really close! Even when God doesn’t seem to be working, He is working. And just maybe, He is trying to re-direct your life, alter your priorities, or give you wisdom and insight you couldn’t acquire any other way. Start praising Him—His ways are higher than ours—but they are always best.

Put your trust in Him; all His ways are good, and all things work together for the good of those who love Him. And just as a side note, God didn’t say all things work together for your “happiness”; God’s purpose is not to make you happy—it is to conform you to the image and character of Christ. If we make that our goal, we will continue to learn and grow, and see God at work, even in the most difficult of situations.