"God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved;
God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.
The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved;
He uttered His voice, the earth melted."
(Psalm 46:5-6)
Oftentimes God answers our prayers at the last possible moment, or, as the Psalmist writes, "at the break of dawn." Until He answers, we continue in faith and persevering prayer. There are many examples of this happening in the Bible. I think of two occurrences. First, in 2 Kings 19, the Assyrian army under the leadership of King Sennacherib taunted and threatened to wipe out Israel. King Hezekiah was greatly distraught and prayed for God to deliver his people. Isaiah the prophet told the king that God would indeed deliver Israel. And in verse 35, Scripture says the Angel of the LORD went out and killed 185,000 soldiers of the Assyrian army. Second, in Acts 12, Herod Agrippa had executed James and imprisoned Peter. On the eve of his certain martyrdom, an angel came to Peter while he was securely shut up in prison and delivered him. Yes, God helps His people, and sometimes He does so at the last possible minute.
Have you experienced this in your life? Perhaps even now you are calling out to God in prevailing prayer for healing, for salvation of a loved one, for financial help, or a host of other serious situations. It seems like the heavens are a brass; no answer has come, and you are beginning to become impatient... and truth be told, you are becoming a little bitter and angry toward God. Please know that God hears you and He sees you. He will deliver; He will come through for you, and He might wait till the break of dawn to do so. But what if He does not answer you or me in the ways we had hoped and prayed? In those moments that try our souls, we have two options before us: turn away from God, or draw near to Him in faith. Every time I have seen someone who is angry with God walk away from Him, every single time it turns out horribly for them. However, when individuals or families turn to God and lean into Him even though they are hurt and disappointed, every single time it turns out for their good. Why is that? It is true because that is what God promises to us, His children; all things will indeed work together for our good, as Romans 8:28 teaches us.
There is much tumult and chaos in our world today, and it will only increase in the days or years prior to Jesus' return to earth. He will melt this old world as we know it, according to 2 Peter 3:11-12: "Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?"
I am praying that He utters His voice on your behalf today and melts your fears and worries. I pray He obliterates all opposition coming against you. Trust the Lord and not your own understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6). He is smarter than you and me. He knows all and sees the big picture. Hang in there, my friend; help is coming!
|