From creating the universe out of nothing to establishing Jacob. From defying the powers of Egypt to parting the red sea into two standing walls. From healing with just a look at a brazen serpent to delivering a city through four lepers. Immediately answering a prayer to rain down fire and then bring the rains “slowly” when asked in prayer by the same prophet. Making dry bones live again. Stopping the mouths of lions. Bringing the dead back to life. Becoming a man. Laying down your life… and taking it up again.
These are just a few of the wonders of our God. He’s a God who excites us when we recount the great deeds only his powerful arm can perform. After all these, have you ever thought what else God has “under his sleeves?” That God is awesome doesn’t do him justice.
But this same God seemed to only “watch” as some of his children were tortured, chained in prison, killed by stoning, sawed in half and killed with the sword (Hebrews 11:35-38). I wonder why they still stood for their faith even when it became obvious God was not going to miraculously came to their aid. “Of them, the world was not worthy.”(Hebrews 11:38). What then were they worthy of? A glorious eternity.
Hope has remained a central theme of Christianity (Proverbs 23:18). We hope of a happy ending to the script of life. We hope of that glorious day when death shall be swallowed up in victory, the old foe defeated, and our bodies gloriously changed!
Truth be told, not all of us would have happy endings here on earth. We may not be able to recount bold testimonies of how God came through for us like he did for Elijah and Daniel and their like. Rather, we may be wont to recount the many times we lost someone or something dear when we had placed all our hope on God to come through for us. Have you ever been in a situation where you wondered why the God who performed those wonders of old “chose” not to come to your aid? Have you ever felt like God seemed to have found some more interesting problems to solve that he ignored you? At a point in life we may have, but we still know that “faithful is he who has promised” us (Hebrews 10:23). We’d still look forward in hope because we’ve been given a foretaste of glory divine. “We see through a glass, darkly” of a day when we shall be changed (1 Corinthians 13:12; 1 Corinthians 15:51). For that day, “we wait with eager hope” (Romans 8:23).
God may not have promised us a safe journey, but he did promise a safe arrival. And sometimes, that’s all that matters.
Eyram Osei
Seeking to glorify God in any way possible.
Loved it!
That last line was absolutely brilliant:)