“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9 KJV).
Often times our plans for the future don’t go the way we want them to. I'm not talking about the end goal but rather how we expect things to play out on the way there. For instance, a person may decide early in life to study a particular course in the university and graduate at a certain age and with a particular grade. The person may actually end up achieving this but in the course of the journey, he/she may not have performed as well in a particular course or may have had to retake a course or may have fallen ill and missed a test. Another person may decide to start a business and become successful but would not expect that the first business would probably crash and success wouldn’t come until the second business.
When Jairus’ daughter was sick and Jesus was called upon, the expectation was that He would arrive while the girl was still alive and heal her of the ailment. But things didn’t go that way. The girl died while Jesus was still on His way. In fact, the people sent messengers to tell Him not to bother. (Mark 5:21-35, Luke 8:40-49).
Similarly, when Lazarus fell ill and Christ was informed about it, the expectation was that He would hurriedly go and heal him but not only did Lazarus die before Christ got there, he was also buried and for four whole days. When Christ arrived Martha and Mary sorrowfully said, “Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not had died” (John 11:21,32).
The point is, as a child of God things will not always go your way because when it boils down to it, you are still a human being and still subject to certain limitations. And more importantly, we may think that a certain path is what’s best for us but actually it isn’t. “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Proverbs 14:12 KJV). And so a lot of things come into play.
This doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t make plans or desire great things or pray as regards issues. We should just remember that invariably, God will do things according to His Will to bring us to an expected end. This is because it is He who knows the end from the beginning. And He knows the right path we will need to tow that will ensure we arrive safely at the desired destination.
Habakkuk 2:3 KJV says, “For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.” (Emphasis added). In the course of tarrying, a Christian may experience tough times, the period of tarrying may even be a tough time in itself but don’t lose hope because it will surely come.
“And when He was come in, He saith unto them, Why make ye this ado, and weep? The damsel is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed Him to scorn... And He took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha cumi; which is being interpreted, Damsel I say unto thee, arise. And straightway the damsel arose, and walked...” (Mark 5:39,41-42a).
“And when He thus had spoken, He cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him and let him go.” (John 11:43-44).
The waiting period can be very painful and it may seem hopeless but don’t stop praying, don’t stop serving God, don’t begin to look elsewhere for alternatives. The promise of Isaac came into fulfilment 25 years after it was given, this may be something you are tired of hearing but it is actually a good example to look up to. The promise of Jesus Christ which Isaiah foretold came centuries later. That situation that you think is dead, God is saying that “it is but asleep” and just like Jairus’ daughter and Lazarus were woken up, He is coming to wake it up.
Presently, you may be passing through hard times and feeling discouraged, downtrodden, you may even feel that God has abandoned or forgotten you. You may also be under a lot of pressure from friends, people around you or even family just like the case of Job where his wife advised him to curse God and die (Job 2:9). Maybe they have given up on you and ruled you as a failure or the situation as unsalvageable but “Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass when the Lord commandeth it not?” (Lamentations 3:37).
From the point of view of men, Lazarus was dead, buried and gone for good but from God’s point of view, “Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep.” (John 11:11). That is just God for you. He shows up only at His appointed time, not a second earlier or later. Not when you want Him to or when your friends and contemporaries want Him to. He shows up only when it is right for you. “For I know the thoughts that I think towards you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil to give you an expected end” (Jeremiah 29:11).
Finally, remember that there is no doubt that you will get to the top if you stick with God but the way there may not be a smooth ride. Regardless of how bad your present situation is, God's word to you is, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.” (Psalm 34:19 KJV).
Your story isn’t finished, don’t despair, hold unto God's word for His word never returns to Him void, it always accomplishes what He has sent it to do (Isaiah 55:11). He alone has the final say.
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