The LORD is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.
Deuteronomy 31:8
My Story
My life has been a little chaotic lately with some family drama (multiple complicated illnesses). I may have a nice, normal day planned, but an emergency comes up. Or I’m expecting one emergency, but a different one happens instead. I think I have crucial decisions made, but then new information comes in that causes me to start over and re-think all my plans. It’s been pretty stressful.
But it has also been very educational. I’ve learned — and I’m still in the process of learning — that God is way ahead of me. I don’t need to know for sure what will happen today or tomorrow. He knows because He is already there. He will give me what I need, when I need it. It’s the ultimate in “Just in Time” planning.
This is not easy for me as a compulsive planner. I want to know everything ahead of time, so I can prepare for every possible contingency. It is difficult for me to relax and wait until God shows me what to do. I don’t enjoy crisis-level surprises. But that is probably His point: I need to learn to depend on Him, and to trust that He will come through for me when I need Him to.
Not only does God already know my future, He has already planned exactly how to get the best out of it. He knows what I am going to face, and has a plan to use it for good. The things that surprise me are things that He has already incorporated into His plan.
Exhibit A: Joseph
The Bible is full of examples where God was planning and acting in advance of events. To the people involved, these were shocking surprises. But to God, they were simply part of a carefully-thought-out plan. Of the many choices, I’ll use the story of Joseph as an illustration.
Joseph was his father’s pet. In fact, he was spoiled rotten. But due to his brothers” jealousy, he went from pampered teenager to being thrown into a pit to die, then pulled back out and sold into slavery (Genesis 37).
But God was there ahead of him. Joseph worked so well that his owner promoted him to be in charge of the entire household. He was so handsome that even the owner’s wife tried to entice him to her bed. When he turned her down, she falsely accused him of initiating the encounter, and the owner had him thrown into prison (Genesis 39).
But God was there ahead of him. While in prison, he gained favor with the jailor, and showed a God-given ability to interpret dreams. That brought him to the attention of the Pharaoh who had a disturbing dream.
God showed Joseph that the Pharaoh’s dream meant that a famine was on the way. Joseph advised that the Pharaoh store grain during the good years in preparation for the coming bad times. The Pharaoh took the advice and did so, putting him in charge (Genesis 41).
Exhibit B: Joseph’s Descendants
When the famine hit, the jealous brothers came to buy some of the stored grain. That led to a family reunion and everyone moving to Egypt to live with Joseph. However, they did not live “happily ever after”. Rather, the descendants of that family were enslaved by a later Pharaoh (Genesis 45, Exodus 1).
But God was there ahead of them. He sent Moses, and a few plagues, and led those descendants to become a nation (Exodus 2 through 3, Deuteronomy 34, Joshua 1).
Exhibit C: Jesus
That nation was the birthplace of God’s Son, the Messiah, sent to rescue His people. The Jews expected that rescuer to be a military hero conquering their Roman occupiers. What happened instead was an impoverished rabbi who ran afoul of both Rome and the Jewish establishment, and was tortured to death. That was quite a surprise to Jesus’ followers (Luke 2 & 23).
But God was there ahead of them. Jesus rose from the grave, conquering not Rome but Satan and sin (Luke 24).
God was far, FAR ahead of what Joseph could see from that pit!
My Story Continues
I had paused on writing this article while I dealt with a crisis point that I had been dreading. The expected disaster did not materialize. The event I had worried about passed very smoothly, a truly miraculous answer to prayer 1. God was ahead of me again!
Of course, I then moved on to the next couple of worrisome issues to be dealt with. I wondered what He had in mind for me now.
I found out the next day, when another new crisis arose. But again I was reminded that He was already there, already prepared for what I faced that day. Unbeknownst to me, it was in progress even as I prayed the night before, and even the crisis may very well be part of His good answer to that prayer 2.
…your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.
Matthew 6:7-8
Note: At one low point during this journey, I reached to pull my cellphone from my back pocket. Somehow, it seems that my finger accidentally brushed the icon to open one of my Bible apps. When I looked at the phone, it was showing me this passage. I don’t remember using that app to look up these verses recently, and that is the first time I’ve had an app open simply by reaching for the phone. A nice “God coincidence”!
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:4-7
As of the publication of this article, my story is still ongoing. The family medical issues are not yet resolved. I continue to learn, as the song says: “Many things about tomorrow, I don’t seem to understand. But I know Who holds tomorrow, and I know Who holds my hand.“
…in Your book were all written
Psalm 139:16 (See all of Psalm 139:1-16 for more beautiful descriptions of God’s omnipresent care.)
The days that were ordained for me,
When as yet there was not one of them.