NERD ALERT! weee ewwww weee ewwww weee ewwww (is that how you spell the sound a police car makes?? Anyway….)
Tonight I’m going to go straight up nerd on you…
How many of you are experiencing (or have in the past) a circumstance in your life that has you questioning whether there is a God (for surely if there was, He wouldn’t allow this to happen), or whether He is good (for surely if He was, He wouldn’t allow this to happen), or maybe even questioning life itself because things are just THAT sucky.
In hopes that it’ll help you, I wanted to share something that worked to ease my mind – and that was reading the Book of Genesis. Reading it brought me great peace and showed me that God uses our moments of crisis to test our faith, just as he tested Noah’s, Abraham’s, and Joseph’s faith. If, during this time of crisis, you focus on God and His Word, He will come to the rescue, which is evident time and time throughout the bible, but specifically in this first book.
Let’s start with Noah. His life was spared when God decided to flood the earth (due to violence) because he was the only good (righteous) man. [Queue Noah’s Arc]
Although God didn’t find a way to keep Noah from enduring the flood for all those days, He did bring him safely through it, just as He promised. After those days (which likely seemed never-ending for Noah),
“Every living thing that moved on the earth perished…Everything on dry land that had the breath of life in its nostrils died. Everything living on the face of the earth was wiped out…only Noah was left” (Genesis 7:21-23, NIV). God then sent a wind over the earth to recede the waters (Genesis 8:1, NIV) and Noah and his Arc-companions were saved!
Amazing!
Noah displayed such trust and faith in God. He didn’t sit there and question Him, or show worry or fear. Instead, he was obedient; everything God commanded Noah to do to prepare for the flood, he did, no questions asked.
Noah didn’t complain. He didn’t cry. He didn’t ask “Why me?” or “When will this be over?”
He didn’t whine, beg, or plead saying, “God, if You really loved me, You wouldn’t let this happen to me.”
None of that happened. There was no evidence that he was even scared! Why? Because he knew that God would take care of him!
Same with Abraham.
God commanded Abraham to sacrifice his only son, Isaac (that he waited so long for!). Just like Noah, Abraham didn’t question God, complain, or shed tears; instead he heeded the instruction he was given. No worry or fear apparent. Once God saw that Abraham actually bound up Isaac as he was instructed, placed him on the alter, and even pulled out his knife in preparation to slay him, the angel of the Lord interrupted him.
Do not lay a hand on the boy…Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.
Genesis 22:12, NIV
Instead, Abraham was given a ram to take the place of Isaac as the burnt offering.
The Lord then told him,
…because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you…because you have obeyed me.
Genesis 22:15-18, NIV
Although he later died, Abraham’s inheritance of good fortune was passed to Isaac upon his death because of how obedient his father was:
Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was barren. The Lord answered his prayers, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant.
Genesis 25:21, NIV
Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the Lord blessed him.
Genesis 26:12, NIV
I [the Lord] am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.
Genesis 28:15, NIV
And, in case those two examples weren’t enough, then there was Joseph.
Joseph was sold to slavery and then wrongfully imprisoned. Although he had every right to question his crummy circumstances, complain, and cry, he didn’t. Why? Because he knew God would take care of him! And because of his faith, the Lord gave him success in whatever he did (Genesis 39:23, NIV).
Your situation probably feels like a wrongful prison sentence, too, and you’re probably sitting there continuously questioning why or what you did to deserve your crisis, but rest assured that God is with you and He knows exactly what He is doing; He will free you, too. Just like he did for Noah. And Abraham and Isaac. And Joseph. He will be with you (Exodus 3:12, NIV).
Don’t fear. Don’t try to escape. Don’t try and force its end.
Rather, continuously seek the lessons God is trying to teach you. Your sentence may feel much too long, but if you focus on the Book of Genesis and recount the lessons of obedience, faith, trust, and answered prayers, I think you will find that your mind starts to ease. And if it did, even if it was just a teensy, tiny bit, can you tell me? I’d love to do the happy dance with you!
