"Then they carried the ark into Dagon's temple
and set it beside Dagon.
When the people of Ashdod rose early the next day,
there was Dagon,
fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the LORD!
They took Dagon and put him back in his place.
But the following morning when they rose,
there was Dagon,
fallen on his face on the ground
before the ark of the LORD!
His head and hands had been broken off
and were lying on the threshold;
only his body remained."
1 Samuel 5:2-4
Legalization of Abortion.
Laws making divorce easy.
Campaign to encourage gender equality which led to the blurring of God-given gender roles and gender confusion.
Rejection of the Ten Commandments as the foundation of the judicial system.
Euthanasia deemed as a right.
Legalization of gay marriage.
These are examples of ways that God is being dishonored in our modern society. America, however, is not the first to offend God and His holy standards. The Philistines also did so when they placed the ark of the covenant, the very symbol of God's presence, in the temple of a false god. As the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth, made sure to get the glory from the Philistine's god, so He will do the same today.
In His Way
She spent her nights roaming through the darkened house, unable to sleep as the questions floated through her mind. What did I do to deserve such a devastating loss? Why did God not warn me of the impending danger? What did I do wrong? What more could I have done to protect my daughter? Why did my precious child have to die?
As my friend worked through the grief, anger and guilt that came with losing her teenage daughter to a kidnapper and killer, she came to a startling conclusion that answered every question: I can't tell God how to get His glory.
While He is not the author of evil, God has promised to work every hard thing in our lives into a beautiful tapestry, using each difficulty as a tool to conform us into the image of His Son. (Romans 8:28-29) In so doing, people will give their praises to God for the great things He does.
There are times in my own life when, looking back, I can see how God found a way to get glory in ways I would have never dreamed. The time of involuntary separation renewed the fondness in my heart for my husband, making our marriage a testimony of God's love dispensed to a broken people. Walking through the financial desert presented countless opportunities for God to provide in ways that can only be attributed to Him. The faulty gauges on our vehicle were transformed from an inconvenience to a teaching tool, showing me how much I tend to walk by sight instead of by faith. Only God could accomplish such feats.
In my grieving friend's life, her tragedy has given many people touched by her loss the opportunity to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ as they joined her to celebrate her daughter's short life. This hurting mother has also been given an often unwelcome platform, giving her the opportunity to spread the reason for the hope she has in Christ. Because so many sympathize with her plight, they will listen to the words of life that come out of her pain.
God will always get the glory for the things He has done, but it is His decision as to how that will come about.
In His Time
I ordered the pizza online and before I had time to set the table, the delicious dinner was delivered to my door. I live in a fast-food culture where I have come to expect everything to come as quickly as this meal in a box. I want my problems to be resolved immediately, my health to be restored with minimal suffering, and any strained relationships to be returned to normal as soon as possible.
God, however, has His own timetable and He is never slow. (2 Peter 3:9) While I may think those who do evil are getting away with their dark deeds, I can be assured that God in His sovereignty will bring about justice. The only question is when it will be dispensed; now in this present age, or at the time when each of us must stand before a holy and righteous God. (Isaiah 45:22-25)
Every sin will be accounted for; either by the one who committed the sin, or by the One who never sinned. Those who rejected Christ will bear the punishment of their own sins, while those who accepted Jesus and His free offer of salvation will be liberated from such a death sentence by the blood of Jesus. Either way, the holy justice of God is served.
Therefore, I cannot expect this justice to be delivered now. Instead, it must come in accordance with God's perfect timing. It takes faith to trust God when evil men are freed by human judges, seemingly getting away with murder. Knowing that God does not let anything slide, I can trust Him to bring about the right sentence in a way that brings glory to Him.
It takes faith to trust God when it seems like darkness if overtaking the light. Remembering that God has a plan I know nothing about and that only He knows how every piece will fit together can bolster my faith. Trusting Him for the timetable will mean I can wait with the assurance that His justice will prevail.
It takes faith to trust God when it looks to me like the culture is leading so many away from the Truth. Resting in the knowledge that God is constantly going after His children, despite the lure of the Evil One sets my mind at ease. After all, who can resist His loving pursuit?
God will always get the glory for the great things He has done, but it is His decision as to when that will come about.
For His Purposes
I didn't know there was a plan they were following. Instead, I thought my parents just came up with a meal according to what they felt like cooking that day. While I was ignorant as a child of the necessity to plan ahead when it came to meals, I sometimes take this same tack with God, thinking there is no master plan.
Therefore, I come up with my own, making decisions based on what I think is best. Or, I follow the lead of my heart, doing what feels right to me. Or, I take the advice of those who seem smarter than me, following the expert's plan for my life. In each case, I am forgetting that God has a purpose for every thing and that there is a right time for every activity I am considering doing. (Ecclesiastes 3:1)
This means that if I follow Him, I will find that there is a method to what sometimes seems like madness. When everything looks like its unraveling, I find that my earthly perspective is not allowing me to see the beauty God is creating with the broken threads of my life. (Isaiah 61:3) When pain is my constant companion and I wonder why God would take me through such times of suffering, I find a peace I would never otherwise discover as He comforts me as only He can. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4) When nothing makes sense to my human mind, I find meaning in knowing the God whose ways are unfathomable but far greater than I could ever imagine. (Isaiah 55:8-9, Ephesians 3:20)
God's purposes will always bring about what will give Him the glory. Therefore, it is up to me to trust His ways, knowing that He will do what is not only best for me but also what will make Him look good. Since it is impossible for me to come up with such a perfect solution, it is wise that I follow Him closely, only going where He leads, waiting patiently for Him, and letting Him get His way in every part of my life.
God will always get the glory for the great things He has done, but it is His decision as to how this will come about.
I struggle with seeing the state of our world today, grieving over the ungodly decisions made by our leaders. As I witness the shift away from God in the society in which I live, I can trust God to get the glory, even in the midst of the mess. He will reveal His own magnificence in His way, on His own timetable, and using the methods He deems as best. Therefore, it is my job to draw closer to Him each day so that I won't miss His glorious works.
As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can trust God to bring evil to its knees.
When do I try to bring about justice in a way that seems right to me instead of letting God do His job?
How do I grow impatient with the evilness of the world around me?
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