While you and l have never witnessed anything like the challenges of recent times, God has. He exists outside of chronological time as we know it, and His omniscience knows all that can be known, far beyond what mortal minds can comprehend or human senses can engage. God is not surprised by anything that is happening right now—not in your life, your family, your neighborhood, your community, your workplace, your church, your city, your county, your state, your nation, or your world.
Whether you realize it or not, God has prepared you for times such as these. He has already anointed you with antibodies for the virus of a sinful world that is trying to infect your life. When the world turns upside down, God is the same as He has always been. When the light around you grows dim, the Light inside you shines brighter. James assures us that “every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” (James 1:17). God sees what you are facing and He will meet you in the midst of your struggles.
He might not show you the end of your story just yet, and He might not provide what you want when you want it. You might have to take it a step at a time, a day at a time rather than be magically transported into a life free of pain or discomfort. Nonetheless, God is with you and will not leave you defenseless in the face of evil. If you are willing to let go of how you want your life to be, then God can begin showing you what your life can become—a trophy of His grace, a testimony of His power, a spiritual mirror of His glory.
Why do I know this? Not because God healed my daughter, not because of the abundance of blessings He has faithfully bestowed on me and my family throughout my life, and not because of how I feel yesterday, today or tomorrow. I know God cares about you and wants to drape your soul with His mantle of protection, power and provision because this is who He is and has always been and will always be. This is the great I AM who loves us relentlessly despite our failures, flaws and fluctuations. This is who God is in the Old Testament, who He is in the New Testament, and who He is in this present moment.
Sammy Rodriguez joins James and Betty this Monday and Tuesday to help navigate these difficult times. This is an excerpt from Persevere With Power by Samuel Rodriguez. Copyright ©2021 by Sammy Rodriguez. Published by Chosen, a division of Baker Publishing Group. Used by permission.
