Job CVIII

It’s also important to remember that while we see the past and the present with no certainty about the future as far as our individual selves are concerned, God’s perspective is one of eternity. He knows the end from the beginning. He is not constrained by time and space, and He knows that what we may deem as a negative today will produce good fruit and testimony in our lives six months or a year down the road. The pruning and the shaping may hurt for a season, but the end result is worth the temporary pain we may have to endure in order to attain what could only be produced by the aforementioned pruning and shaping.

I do not know what tomorrow may bring for myself or my family, but I know that God is already there, making a way, and so I do not fear or concern myself with it. We spend far too much time trying to affect things we can’t control and ignore the things that we can. I can dwell on the future, obsess over it, and run in circles until I’m ragged and discombobulated, but tomorrow will still come with its own troubles.

I’ve learned to focus on the things I can control, and leave those I can’t to God. I have control over how much time I spend with God. I have control over how much time I spend in the Word. I have control over where I choose to focus my time and energy on any given day. What I can’t control is whether my car decides to break down in the middle of the road or if I get a flat tire because someone decided it was perfectly reasonable to throw a fistful of nails out their window.

Obsessing over things we have no control over is another of the enemy’s tactics to keep us from deepening our relationship with God and building up our most holy faith. If I constantly focus on something that may happen tomorrow, I won’t take the time to grow in God today. But you don’t understand! The world is a scary place, and getting scarier by the day. I do, though. I understand better than most people and even have the added weight of ensuring my kids get fed and have a roof over their heads, but I know my limitations. I know what I can control, I know what I can’t, and I choose to focus on seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, knowing that all these things will be added on.

We cannot know the end of a thing or its final iteration because we are not omniscient. God does because He is. Every situation seems positive or negative based on its effect on us in the present, but the present comes and goes in the blink of an eye, and what may have seemed a glorious thing today can readily become bitter and offputting tomorrow. Likewise, what seemed difficult and insurmountable today can readily become the moment of your greatest victory tomorrow.

We need look no further than the life story of Joseph to see how quickly what was meant for evil can be turned into good and that your current lot is not indicative of your future or the course your life will take. To go from being the favored son to being sold into slavery by one’s own brothers, to being made overseer of Potiphar’s house only to be thrown in prison after being falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife, to becoming the most powerful man in Egypt second only to the Pharaoh himself, one can readily say that Joseph’s life had its ups and down.

Through it all, Joseph held to his integrity, his faith, and his convictions, whether he was being sold as a slave or being clothed in fine linen and having a gold chain placed around his neck.

Whatever your circumstance, cling to God. One’s faithfulness cannot be contingent on their current lot, nor can it be conditional depending on whether God does as we will. God will do as He wills, and if you are faithful in the present, if you are faithful today, tomorrow and its outcome may surprise and stun you.

Whether as a slave or in a prison cell, Joseph did not have the promise of restoration or even justice. The only things he had were a handful of dreams he’d dreamt that seemed so out of reach at certain points in his life as to be laughable. His obedience and faithfulness to God were not proffered with conditions or strings attached. Joseph served God because He is God and worthy of our servitude. Anything beyond that, Joseph left in the hands of the God he served. Were there moments in his life when he could have grumbled or thought God unjust? Most assuredly. Whether being thrown in prison for resisting the advances of Potiphar’s wife or being forgotten by the butler whose dream he had interpreted, Joseph had plenty of reasons to despair, yet he did not. He languished in prison for two full years after the chief butler got reinstated and summarily forgot about Joseph until the Pharaoh had a dream, and he was brought to the butler’s mind afresh, knowing all this time that he was an innocent man and had not done what Potiphar’s wife had accused him of.

Whatever you may be going through, do not despair. Even if you have been unjustly accused and suffer the wrath of the godless, knowing yourself to be innocent, do not grow bitter. God has a plan, He always does; and when the last chapter is written, you will look back on your story and see the faithfulness of God on every page.

He is faithful. If I’ve learned anything over the last thirty-eight years of ministry, it’s that our God is faithful. As long as our eyes are on Him rather than our current situation, circumstance, or trial, we will press ever onward and, with each passing day, see the pieces falling into place and His plans come into focus, providing clarity.

When you’re in the valley, your view will always be limited. When you’re on the mountain top, however, you see the panorama for what it is and realize the beauty of it all. Even in the darkest valleys, His light remains an ever-present beacon that guides us and gives us comfort. Even when all seems lost, and the only thing that could provide a remedy is an outright miracle, thankfully, you serve a miracle-working God.

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea, Jr.