Reassurance When We Don’t Understand Our Circumstances

“I have planned this in order to display my glory through Pharaoh and his whole army. After this the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD!” (Exodus 14:4NLT)

Life’s difficult to understand sometimes. Heart-breaking stuff happens and we ask, “Why, God?”

Why does my sister struggle with an illness that makes it nearly impossible for her to leave her house? Why does a 40-something woman, suffering with severe arthritis, end up bedridden in a nursing home for years? Why does a young couple, anticipating the birth of their first child, die in a car accident?

Sometimes we wonder why.

No doubt you could add your own questions to mine. And no doubt we’d find no easy answers. But this we know—God is working behind-the-scenes in ways we don’t understand.

My special word for 2013 is “glory.” That word pops off the page every time I read Scripture. This morning, for instance, I read about Pharaoh’s army chasing the Israelites and cornering them at the Red Sea. God told Moses this was going to happen, and He also said that He’d planned it in order to display His glory so the Egyptians would acknowledge Him as Lord.

Surely God could have come up with an easier plan—something that wouldn’t have triggered panic in the Israelite campsite that night. But He didn’t. He chose this plan of action, and He did it to turn the Egyptians’ hearts from their false gods to Him.

In the end, the Israelites were impacted, too. “When the people of Israel saw the mighty power that the LORD had unleashed against the Egyptians, they were filled with awe before him. They put their faith in the LORD and in his servant Moses” (v. 31).

When we face difficult situations, let’s remember that God is working in ways we don’t understand. Let’s pray that He will receive the glory through the circumstances, and that everyone involved will be filled with awe at who He is.

“Father, thank You for controlling our circumstances. Teach us to trust You even when we don’t understand. And use our circumstances to bring glory to Yourself and draw others into relationship with You. Amen.”