SUDDENLY
BLOG #27
“This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first
month of the year to you.” (Exodus 12:2)
The above word is music to my ears, as I’m sure it was to Moses’ and Aaron’s as well. Imagine their amazement. After years in captivity, Moses’ failed attempt to act independently of God by killing an Egyptian, all the plagues and Pharaoh’s refusal to let the Israelites go, the time for change was within reach.
“This month shall be your beginning of months…..” (Exodus 12:2)
And suddenly, the transition they were waiting for. In one night, everything changed and there was no going back. Consider Joshua leading the Israelites around the wall of Jericho. And this was no ordinary wall as we know it. Houses were built on these walls, chariots rode on these walls, like the Great Wall of China, this I’m sure, was an amazing structure. Imagine the Israelites walking around this humongous wall, with seven priests holding seven trumpets before the Ark of the Covenant. But there they were, a homeless group, children of slaves, born in the wilderness, with no mighty armor, horses, or weapons; but they had God! And God is all you need to suddenly change your season:
- To suddenly bring that impenetrable wall of resistance to its knees
- To suddenly bring that prodigal home
- To suddenly make the barren bear children
- To suddenly change your mourning to dancing
- To suddenly open doors and close doors
GOD is On your side….
“…If God be for us, who dare stand against us” Romans 8:31
“…Greater is He in me than he who is in the world” 1John4:4
“…I can do all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens me…” Philippians 4:13
Back to Joshua leading this band of homeless, silent “mighty men of valor” (Joshua 6:2), with nothing but GOD. The end is history….God tells them to shout and when the frequency of their tone matched the frequencies of heaven, the walls came crashing down. Amazing~ Incredible ~True. And it’s the same GOD who “never changes….the God of yesterday, today, and Forever” (Hebrews 13:8) who “acts on behalf of those who love Him.” (Isaiah 64:4) He is with us today, as we invite Him and welcome His plan for us on earth as it is in heaven.
Another one of my favorite historical stories is about four lepers who had absolutely nothing to live for. Their town was surrounded by the enemy and completely shut up for some time, without food and water. The famine was great. These geniuses thought to themselves, we are already dead men, we might as well surrender to the enemy, perhaps they will have mercy and give them food.
They figured if they were caught they may die, if they stayed where they were, they would surely die. They tossed a coin (my paraphrase) and decided that if they were going to die anyway, they might as well die with food in their bellies (I like that thinking). So off they went! Can you imagine their surprise when they discovered that the enemy’s camp was completely abandoned and enough food was left to feed an army?
You see, the night before God did a suddenly….He caused the “army of the Syrians to hear the noise of horses as the noise of a great army; so they said to one another, “Look, the King of Israel has hired against us…therefore they arose and fled and left their tents, their horses, and their donkeys, and they fled for their lives.” (2Kings 7)
Needless to say, these four outcasts thought they had died and gone to heaven! And eat to their hearts content they did, until their conscious began to bother them and they said “We are not doing right….” You see, their own people were starving at home. They had to share the wealth and so they did.
The Bible is replete with stories of God’s suddenlies.
- There is the homeless widow Naomi with only her daughter-in-law, Ruth, who was a gentile. And suddenly, there is a marriage to one of the wealthiest men in town, and a baby on the way…the baby who was to be the grandfather of King David.
- Let’s not forget Esther. An orphan young girl kidnapped and brought to the king’s harem, who becomes queen and saves her people from annihilation.
- Then there’s Joseph, hated by his brothers, sold to slavery, ends up in jail for refusing to sleep with his boss’ wife, when suddenly, his season changed and he was brought to the King’s palace and promoted to the second highest position in the nation.
- And there are many, many, many more to include Daniel, Mary the mother of Jesus, Hannah, the Apostle Peter, the Apostle Paul, the day of Pentecost……Suddenly– God moves and everything changes!
Oh, my friend, whatever your current circumstances, look to Jesus, the “author and finisher of your faith.” (Hebrews 12:2)Keep your eyes and heart set on Him and Him alone. And as your audible frequency of praise, worship, His word aligns with heaven, everything changes….Suddenly.
The ultimate ‘suddenly’ we eagerly await is spoken by our risen Lord Himself “surely I am coming quickly.” (Rev 22:20)
Shalom