Excerpt from the book: You were made for this moment, by Max Lucado
‘To whom will you compare Me? Or who is My equal?’ says the Holy One.
— Isaiah 40:25
As Moses announced:
Who among the gods is like You, Lord? Who is like You — majestic in holiness? — Exodus 15:11
And the psalmist asked:
Who in the skies is comparable to the Lord? Who among the sons of the mighty is like the Lord? — Psalm 89:6 NASB
As Augustine prayed:
What then are you my God? What, I ask, except the Lord God. For who is the Lord besides God? Or who is God besides our God? — Most high, most good, most powerful, most omnipotent, most merciful and most just, most secret and most present; most beautiful and most strong; most stable and incomprehensible; unchangeable (yet) changing all things; never new, never old; making all things new, and bringing the proud to (the collapse of) old age; ever acting, ever at rest; gathering, and not needing; carrying and filling and protecting (all things); creating and nourishing and perfecting; seeking, though you lack nothing.1
Consider the work of His hands.
But ask the animals, and they will teach you,
or ask the birds of the air, and they will tell you.
Speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish of the sea tell you.
Every one of these knows
that the hand of the Lord has done this.
The life of every creature
and the breath of all people are in God’s hand. — Job 12:7-10 NCV
The next time you feel the weight of the world, talk to the One who made the world. As your perception of God grows greater, the size of your challenge grows smaller. If God can sway the heart of a Persian monarch, if He can reverse certain death into victorious life, if He can turn a scheduled holocaust into an annual holiday, do you not think He can take care of you?
I’m sorry for your exile in Persia. I’m sorry for your deep wounds and weariness. I’m so sorry that you so quickly understand the meaning of words like pain, fear, and sadness.
Springtime seems like forever from now, I know. But, friend, it isn’t. The story of Esther dares you to believe that God, though hidden, is active. He brings life out of broken things. The apostle Paul was summarizing Esther when he wrote:
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. — Romans 8:28
“We know,” Paul said. There are so many things in life we do not know. We do not know if the economy will dip or if our team will win. We don’t always know what our kids are thinking or our spouse is doing. But according to Paul we can be dead certain of four things.
We know God works. He is busy behind the scenes, above the fray, and within the fury. He hasn’t checked out or moved on. He is ceaseless and tireless.
He never stops working for our good. Not for our comfort, pleasure, or entertainment, but for our good. Since he himself is the ultimate good, would we expect anything else?
To do this He uses all things. Panta in Greek. As in panoramic or panacea or pandemic. All inclusive. God works, not through a few things or just the good things, best things, or easy things, but in all things God works.
He works for the good of those who love Him. Good things happen to those who trust God. The umbrella of God’s providence does not extend to cover the evil and hard-hearted. But for those who seek Him and His will, in all things God works.
A puppet in the hands of fortune and fate? Not you. You are secure in the hands of a living and loving God.
A random collection of disconnected events? Far from it. Your life is a crafted narrative written by the Author of life, who is working toward your supreme good and a sublime ending.
Relief will come.
Will you be a part of it?
It seems to me that the entire world is in a state of trauma. People do not know why they were born or where they are destined to go. This is the age of much know-how and very little know-why. The invisible enemies of sin and secularism have left us dazed and bewildered.
The world needs you! We need people with the resolve of Mordecai and the courage of Esther. The world is in desperate need of a people of God who will stay steady in the chaos.
People like the ones who gathered in war-torn London. No one would have blamed them for canceling church services on that Sunday morning. A bombing raid had roared in the city throughout the night. London was a circle of fire. Buildings were destroyed. Even the walls of this church were flattened. Members arrived to find pews covered with dust and mortar. But rather than despair, they chose to worship. Amid the heaps of stones they began to sing:
The church’s one foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord; She is His new creation, By Spirit and the Word: From Heav’n He came and sought her
To be His holy Bride,
With His own blood He bought her, And for her life He died.
Can you envision that circle of brave souls? Smack-dab in the center of global chaos, they worshipped. They set their faith on our unfailing God. The song was an admonition of sorts, a declaration of truth amid a crumbling society.
The song may well have saved the life of Ben Robertson. He was an American war correspondent who had arrived in London the day before. The night bombing left him undone and terrified. The explosions, sirens, and cries of the wounded caused him to despair of life itself.
“If this is what modern civilization has brought us to — if this is the best that modern man can achieve, then let me die,” he prayed.
At some point he dozed off. He awoke to the unexpected sound of people singing a hymn. He looked out the window and saw the congregation gathered in the rubble.
He later wrote: “Suddenly I saw in the world something that was unshatterable — something that had endured through millennia, something that was indestructible — the spirit and life and power of Jesus Christ within His Church.”2
Bombs are still dropped. Worlds still explode. Walls still collapse. Pandemics still rage. But in the midst of it all, the Lord still has His people. And when they proclaim the truth of God in the middle of a crumbling world, you never know who might be changed.
God is in the middle of this. This steep climb. This uphill struggle. This cold, fierce headwind you are facing. You feel overwhelmed. Weary. Ill-equipped to weather it. But lift up your eyes. That is your Father standing on the driveway. He is in this moment with you. Who knows but that you have been chosen for such a time as this?
