WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.759 Welcome to Pomoja Podcast, the place where stronger 00:00:03.759 --> 00:00:06.780 lives are built, faith is strengthened, hearts 00:00:06.780 --> 00:00:09.699 are encouraged, and Christ -centered lives are 00:00:09.699 --> 00:00:12.820 shaped through ordinary conversations that become 00:00:12.820 --> 00:00:16.359 extraordinary encounters with God's truth. I'm 00:00:16.359 --> 00:00:19.859 your host, Barry Mwamba. There is a question 00:00:19.859 --> 00:00:22.719 that has stayed with me for quite some time. 00:00:23.120 --> 00:00:26.339 Why do faithful Christians go through difficult 00:00:26.339 --> 00:00:29.219 seasons? I don't mean people who are running 00:00:29.219 --> 00:00:33.000 away from God. I don't mean people who have completely 00:00:33.000 --> 00:00:36.719 abandoned their faith. I'm talking about believers 00:00:36.719 --> 00:00:41.200 who sincerely love God, who pray, who seek Him, 00:00:41.460 --> 00:00:45.600 who desire to obey Him, and yet still find themselves 00:00:45.600 --> 00:00:48.840 walking through valleys they never expected. 00:00:49.200 --> 00:00:52.520 Why? Have you ever noticed that almost every 00:00:52.520 --> 00:00:56.000 great servant of God experienced a season like 00:00:56.000 --> 00:01:00.880 that? Joseph did. David did. Daniel did. Paul 00:01:00.880 --> 00:01:04.480 did. Even Peter did. None of them were strangers 00:01:04.480 --> 00:01:08.120 to hardship. Yet when we read their stories carefully, 00:01:08.560 --> 00:01:11.780 we discover something fascinating. Not every 00:01:11.780 --> 00:01:15.120 valley in the Bible has the same purpose. That 00:01:15.120 --> 00:01:17.959 realization changed the way I read scripture. 00:01:18.400 --> 00:01:21.980 And perhaps, it will change the way you understand 00:01:21.980 --> 00:01:25.370 your own life. because I believe there are at 00:01:25.370 --> 00:01:29.069 least two kinds of valleys that believers experience. 00:01:29.590 --> 00:01:32.730 The first valley is the one God uses to bring 00:01:32.730 --> 00:01:36.230 us back to Him. The second valley is the one 00:01:36.230 --> 00:01:39.310 God uses to prepare us for something greater 00:01:39.310 --> 00:01:43.290 than ourselves. Those two valleys may look similar 00:01:43.290 --> 00:01:47.569 from the outside. They both involve pain. They 00:01:47.569 --> 00:01:51.709 both involve uncertainty. They both involve tears. 00:01:52.090 --> 00:01:55.010 but they are completely different in purpose. 00:01:55.310 --> 00:01:58.890 And if we fail to recognize the difference, we 00:01:58.890 --> 00:02:02.750 may misunderstand what God is doing in our lives. 00:02:03.310 --> 00:02:07.709 Let's begin with the first one. The first valley 00:02:07.709 --> 00:02:11.490 is what I would call the valley of positioning. 00:02:12.150 --> 00:02:15.430 There are seasons when life suddenly shakes us, 00:02:15.789 --> 00:02:19.110 not because God has rejected us, but because 00:02:19.110 --> 00:02:22.710 we have slowly drifted away from Him Sometimes 00:02:22.710 --> 00:02:26.409 it happens through sin. Sometimes through pride. 00:02:27.009 --> 00:02:30.689 Sometimes through success. Sometimes simply because 00:02:30.689 --> 00:02:34.069 life became so busy that our relationship with 00:02:34.069 --> 00:02:37.870 God quietly moved to the background. Then something 00:02:37.870 --> 00:02:42.889 happens. A storm. A disappointment. A loss. A 00:02:42.889 --> 00:02:47.169 crisis. And suddenly, the very thing we thought 00:02:47.169 --> 00:02:50.389 was destroying us. becomes the thing that brings 00:02:50.389 --> 00:02:54.210 us back to God's presence. Think about the prodigal 00:02:54.210 --> 00:02:57.310 son. It wasn't comfort that brought him home. 00:02:57.590 --> 00:03:01.069 It was famine. Think about Jonah. It wasn't the 00:03:01.069 --> 00:03:04.030 calm sea that changed him. It was the storm. 00:03:04.610 --> 00:03:07.229 Think about Israel throughout the Old Testament. 00:03:07.689 --> 00:03:10.770 Again and again, when they drifted from God, 00:03:11.150 --> 00:03:15.159 adversity became an invitation to return. That 00:03:15.159 --> 00:03:18.259 is why I love what God says in Second Chronicles 00:03:18.259 --> 00:03:22.419 714. He doesn't begin with healing. He begins 00:03:22.419 --> 00:03:26.879 with relationship. If my people will humble themselves, 00:03:27.219 --> 00:03:31.099 pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked 00:03:31.099 --> 00:03:35.800 ways, only then does he say, then I will hear, 00:03:36.319 --> 00:03:41.400 forgive, and heal. Did you notice that? Healing 00:03:41.400 --> 00:03:45.229 was never the first step. Returning was. God 00:03:45.229 --> 00:03:47.990 first restores our position before He changes 00:03:47.990 --> 00:03:52.669 our circumstances. But here's where the conversation 00:03:52.669 --> 00:03:56.289 becomes even more interesting. What about people 00:03:56.289 --> 00:03:59.629 who have already returned? What about believers 00:03:59.629 --> 00:04:03.870 who are intentionally walking with God? Not perfect, 00:04:04.210 --> 00:04:08.710 because none of us are. But sincere. People who 00:04:08.710 --> 00:04:12.979 love Him. People who quickly repent. people who 00:04:12.979 --> 00:04:16.600 desire holiness, people who have made God their 00:04:16.600 --> 00:04:19.860 dwelling place. Why do they still walk through 00:04:19.860 --> 00:04:23.600 valleys? Now we have entered a completely different 00:04:23.600 --> 00:04:27.879 conversation because this second valley is no 00:04:27.879 --> 00:04:31.540 longer about positioning. It is about alignment. 00:04:32.160 --> 00:04:36.480 And I believe this is where Psalm 91 begins. 00:04:38.819 --> 00:04:42.680 Not because David had never experienced difficulties. 00:04:43.220 --> 00:04:45.860 Not because he had never known fear. Not because 00:04:45.860 --> 00:04:49.060 he had never cried. But because by the time David 00:04:49.060 --> 00:04:52.180 wrote those words, he had already learned something 00:04:52.180 --> 00:04:55.639 about walking with God. He had discovered that 00:04:55.639 --> 00:04:58.579 there is a difference between knowing God and 00:04:58.579 --> 00:05:01.879 dwelling with God. I find that fascinating. Because 00:05:01.879 --> 00:05:04.819 David is no longer talking about someone trying 00:05:04.819 --> 00:05:08.329 to find God. He is talking about someone who 00:05:08.329 --> 00:05:12.009 has already made God his home listen to how he 00:05:12.009 --> 00:05:15.290 begins he who dwells in the secret place of the 00:05:15.290 --> 00:05:19.810 most high he doesn't say he who visits he doesn't 00:05:19.810 --> 00:05:24.350 say he who remembers God when life becomes difficult 00:05:24.350 --> 00:05:29.410 he says he who dwells that word stayed with me 00:05:29.410 --> 00:05:32.009 because dwelling is much more than believing 00:05:32.009 --> 00:05:35.529 it is much more than going to church It is much 00:05:35.529 --> 00:05:38.769 more than praying from time to time. Dwelling 00:05:38.769 --> 00:05:42.009 is choosing to build your entire life around 00:05:42.009 --> 00:05:45.930 the presence of God. It is waking up every morning 00:05:45.930 --> 00:05:49.589 saying, Lord, I don't want to live this day without 00:05:49.589 --> 00:05:53.310 you. It is learning to recognize the voice of 00:05:53.310 --> 00:05:56.930 the Holy Spirit. It is becoming intentional about 00:05:56.930 --> 00:06:01.689 repentance, intentional about forgiveness, intentional 00:06:01.689 --> 00:06:05.550 about sanctification. Not because we are perfect, 00:06:05.589 --> 00:06:08.829 because we are not. But because we have discovered 00:06:08.829 --> 00:06:12.829 there is no safer place than living close to 00:06:12.829 --> 00:06:17.149 God. And maybe that's why this second valley 00:06:17.149 --> 00:06:21.110 feels so different. Because God is no longer 00:06:21.110 --> 00:06:23.730 trying to bring me back. I'm already walking 00:06:23.730 --> 00:06:27.529 with Him. I'm already depending on Him. I'm already 00:06:27.529 --> 00:06:31.069 seeking Him. So if He's not bringing me back, 00:06:31.569 --> 00:06:35.639 what is He doing? That question stayed with me. 00:06:35.740 --> 00:06:38.920 Because when I looked at Joseph, I couldn't find 00:06:38.920 --> 00:06:42.079 a man running away from God. When I looked at 00:06:42.079 --> 00:06:45.839 Daniel, I couldn't find compromise. When I looked 00:06:45.839 --> 00:06:49.160 at David in the cave, I didn't find rebellion. 00:06:49.699 --> 00:06:52.980 When I looked at Paul in prison, I didn't find 00:06:52.980 --> 00:06:57.560 disobedience. What I found were men who had already 00:06:57.560 --> 00:07:01.160 made God their dwelling place. And suddenly, 00:07:01.610 --> 00:07:05.790 Psalm 91 made sense to me. The promise isn't 00:07:05.790 --> 00:07:09.350 given to people who occasionally seek God. The 00:07:09.350 --> 00:07:12.949 promise belongs to people who have decided I 00:07:12.949 --> 00:07:16.589 would rather lose everything than lose his presence. 00:07:17.170 --> 00:07:20.589 Now think about that. If these men were already 00:07:20.589 --> 00:07:24.649 dwelling, if they were already aligned, why didn't 00:07:24.649 --> 00:07:28.629 God simply keep them away from trouble? Why Joseph's 00:07:28.629 --> 00:07:31.860 prison? Why David's cave? Why Daniel's lions? 00:07:32.160 --> 00:07:36.699 Why Paul's chains? That is where I believe the 00:07:36.699 --> 00:07:40.579 greatest discoveries begin, because perhaps the 00:07:40.579 --> 00:07:43.720 purpose of this valley is no longer to change 00:07:43.720 --> 00:07:49.699 my position. Perhaps God is preparing me for 00:07:49.699 --> 00:07:55.180 something my present eyes cannot yet see. So 00:07:55.180 --> 00:07:58.560 if these men were already dwelling, If they were 00:07:58.560 --> 00:08:02.139 already aligned, why didn't God simply keep them 00:08:02.139 --> 00:08:06.699 away from trouble? Why Joseph's prison? Why David's 00:08:06.699 --> 00:08:10.959 cave? Why Daniel's lions? Why Paul's chains? 00:08:11.680 --> 00:08:14.680 That question stayed with me, because if these 00:08:14.680 --> 00:08:17.959 men loved God, if they sincerely walked with 00:08:17.959 --> 00:08:21.100 him, why would he allow them to enter valleys 00:08:21.100 --> 00:08:25.259 that seemed completely unnecessary? Then I started 00:08:25.259 --> 00:08:28.730 noticing something. The valley wasn't the problem. 00:08:29.269 --> 00:08:32.429 The battle wasn't the problem either. The real 00:08:32.429 --> 00:08:36.250 battle was spiritual long before it ever became 00:08:36.250 --> 00:08:40.269 physical. Paul says something that I think we 00:08:40.269 --> 00:08:44.070 often read too quickly, for we wrestle not against 00:08:44.070 --> 00:08:47.950 flesh and blood. I've read that verse many times, 00:08:48.210 --> 00:08:53.269 but this time I stopped because Paul wasn't just 00:08:53.269 --> 00:08:56.409 explaining where the battle takes place. He was 00:08:56.409 --> 00:08:59.330 explaining why faithful believers don't respond 00:08:59.330 --> 00:09:02.690 the same way everyone else does. Most people 00:09:02.690 --> 00:09:06.509 only see the physical battle. They see the prison, 00:09:07.090 --> 00:09:10.950 the accusation, the betrayal, the sickness, the 00:09:10.950 --> 00:09:15.830 loss, the injustice, the fire, the lions. But 00:09:15.830 --> 00:09:20.190 God sees something much deeper. He sees a spiritual 00:09:20.190 --> 00:09:22.529 battle long before it ever appears in the natural. 00:09:23.269 --> 00:09:26.200 And maybe, That's why he prepares his people 00:09:26.200 --> 00:09:28.919 before they even know a battle is coming. Have 00:09:28.919 --> 00:09:32.799 you ever noticed that? Before Moses ever stood 00:09:32.799 --> 00:09:36.720 before Pharaoh, God had already called him at 00:09:36.720 --> 00:09:40.779 the burning bush. Before David ever became king, 00:09:42.019 --> 00:09:45.740 God had already anointed him. Before Peter stood 00:09:45.740 --> 00:09:49.679 before rulers, Jesus had already told him, don't 00:09:49.679 --> 00:09:52.809 worry about what you will say. because the Holy 00:09:52.809 --> 00:09:56.690 Spirit will speak through you. Before Paul reached 00:09:56.690 --> 00:10:00.570 prison, God had already told him he would testify 00:10:00.570 --> 00:10:04.870 before kings. God always seems to prepare his 00:10:04.870 --> 00:10:08.429 people before the battle begins. Then another 00:10:08.429 --> 00:10:12.429 thought came into my spirit. Maybe that's because 00:10:12.429 --> 00:10:16.149 God never enters the battle after we do. Maybe 00:10:16.149 --> 00:10:19.690 he was already there. That thought overwhelmed 00:10:19.690 --> 00:10:23.340 me. Because if God is already there, then nothing 00:10:23.340 --> 00:10:27.620 catches him by surprise. Nothing. Not the accusation. 00:10:27.779 --> 00:10:31.120 Not the betrayal. Not the valley. Not the prison. 00:10:31.480 --> 00:10:35.019 Not the fire. Not the courtroom. Nothing. We 00:10:35.019 --> 00:10:39.740 are often surprised God never is. Then my mind 00:10:39.740 --> 00:10:43.120 immediately went to the fiery furnace. Think 00:10:43.120 --> 00:10:46.360 about that story for a moment. The king ordered 00:10:46.360 --> 00:10:49.000 the furnace to be heated seven times hotter. 00:10:49.360 --> 00:10:52.559 The soldiers who brought Shadrach, Meshach, and 00:10:52.559 --> 00:10:55.480 Abednego to the furnace died because of its heat. 00:10:56.360 --> 00:10:59.320 The fire was doing exactly what fire naturally 00:10:59.320 --> 00:11:05.480 does. It burned. It killed. It consumed. Nothing 00:11:05.480 --> 00:11:09.139 had changed about the fire. Yet the moment those 00:11:09.139 --> 00:11:12.460 three faithful men entered, everything changed 00:11:12.460 --> 00:11:15.639 for them. Not because the fire stopped being 00:11:15.639 --> 00:11:19.179 fire. but because the presence of God entered 00:11:19.179 --> 00:11:22.000 before the fire could accomplish its purpose. 00:11:22.799 --> 00:11:26.100 When the king looked again, he expected to see 00:11:26.100 --> 00:11:30.659 three men dying. Instead, he saw four men walking, 00:11:31.320 --> 00:11:34.899 walking, not crawling, not screaming, walking. 00:11:35.559 --> 00:11:38.440 And that's when something became very real to 00:11:38.440 --> 00:11:42.000 me. God had already preceded them into the furnace. 00:11:42.330 --> 00:11:45.190 He wasn't rushing toward them after they entered. 00:11:45.330 --> 00:11:49.909 He was already there. Waiting, preparing, protecting. 00:11:50.730 --> 00:11:54.850 The enemy prepared a furnace. God prepared his 00:11:54.850 --> 00:11:59.070 presence. And perhaps, that's exactly what Psalm 00:11:59.070 --> 00:12:02.629 91 is trying to teach us. Protection doesn't 00:12:02.629 --> 00:12:06.009 mean the fire disappears. Protection means the 00:12:06.009 --> 00:12:09.730 fire loses its authority. The water doesn't disappear. 00:12:10.330 --> 00:12:14.159 It loses its authority. The valley doesn't disappear. 00:12:14.779 --> 00:12:18.240 It loses its authority. Death itself doesn't 00:12:18.240 --> 00:12:22.500 disappear. It loses its sting. The weapon is 00:12:22.500 --> 00:12:26.960 still forged. It simply does not prosper. Do 00:12:26.960 --> 00:12:30.360 you see the difference? The miracle is not always 00:12:30.360 --> 00:12:34.139 that God removes the battle. The miracle is that 00:12:34.139 --> 00:12:36.279 the battle can no longer produce the outcome 00:12:36.279 --> 00:12:40.679 the enemy intended. And suddenly, David's words 00:12:40.679 --> 00:12:44.519 became much more personal to me. He is my refuge 00:12:44.519 --> 00:12:49.519 and my fortress. A refuge only makes sense if 00:12:49.519 --> 00:12:53.879 danger exists. A fortress is only necessary if 00:12:53.879 --> 00:12:56.740 someone is attacking. David wasn't pretending 00:12:56.740 --> 00:13:00.879 danger wasn't real. He was declaring that God's 00:13:00.879 --> 00:13:04.519 presence was greater than the danger. And I wonder 00:13:04.519 --> 00:13:07.840 if that's exactly what God has been trying to 00:13:07.840 --> 00:13:11.480 teach his people all along. Not to become fascinated 00:13:11.480 --> 00:13:15.200 with the battle, but to become confident in the 00:13:15.200 --> 00:13:18.539 God who has already gone before them. Because 00:13:18.539 --> 00:13:22.899 maybe, while we are still asking God where He 00:13:22.899 --> 00:13:27.779 is, He has already entered tomorrow. He has already 00:13:27.779 --> 00:13:31.419 prepared the answer. He has already limited the 00:13:31.419 --> 00:13:34.860 fire. He has already declared that the weapon 00:13:34.860 --> 00:13:39.059 will not prosper. And he has already begun writing 00:13:39.059 --> 00:13:46.379 a testimony that we cannot yet see. And I think 00:13:46.379 --> 00:13:50.019 that's where David's cave begins to make sense. 00:13:50.340 --> 00:13:53.659 Because while David thought he was hiding, God 00:13:53.659 --> 00:13:56.500 was already moving. Have you ever thought about 00:13:56.500 --> 00:14:00.179 that? Imagine David sitting inside the cave of 00:14:00.179 --> 00:14:04.980 a dullum. He has just escaped Saul. He's exhausted. 00:14:05.779 --> 00:14:09.059 discouraged. He has lost his position, his reputation, 00:14:09.440 --> 00:14:12.480 his home, his certainty about tomorrow. If you 00:14:12.480 --> 00:14:15.720 had walked into that cave and asked David, what 00:14:15.720 --> 00:14:18.919 do you think God is doing right now? I wonder 00:14:18.919 --> 00:14:22.779 what he would have answered. Maybe. Nothing. 00:14:23.679 --> 00:14:29.279 Maybe. I don't know. Maybe. I'm just trying to 00:14:29.279 --> 00:14:32.460 survive another day. But while David was sitting 00:14:32.460 --> 00:14:35.289 in that cave, God was already doing something 00:14:35.289 --> 00:14:39.110 David could not see. Somewhere outside that cave, 00:14:39.570 --> 00:14:43.730 God had already started moving hearts. 400 men, 00:14:44.190 --> 00:14:47.570 men from different places, different backgrounds, 00:14:48.330 --> 00:14:51.649 different stories, were already on their way. 00:14:52.590 --> 00:14:55.649 David didn't know them. He hadn't invited them. 00:14:56.090 --> 00:14:59.049 He wasn't recruiting an army. He wasn't making 00:14:59.049 --> 00:15:03.000 phone calls. He wasn't building a kingdom. God 00:15:03.000 --> 00:15:07.139 was while David was crying inside the cave. God 00:15:07.139 --> 00:15:10.539 was gathering people outside the cave That is 00:15:10.539 --> 00:15:14.580 incredible David thought he was waiting on God 00:15:14.580 --> 00:15:19.320 The reality was that God had already begun working 00:15:19.320 --> 00:15:23.200 long before David realized it and I started asking 00:15:23.200 --> 00:15:27.179 myself How many times has God been doing exactly 00:15:27.179 --> 00:15:30.899 the same thing in our lives? How many times have 00:15:30.899 --> 00:15:34.840 we prayed? Lord, where are you? While heaven 00:15:34.840 --> 00:15:38.360 was already moving, how many times have we mistaken 00:15:38.360 --> 00:15:42.500 silence for inactivity? Because silence does 00:15:42.500 --> 00:15:46.679 not mean God is absent. Sometimes, silence simply 00:15:46.679 --> 00:15:50.500 means God is working where your eyes cannot yet 00:15:50.500 --> 00:15:54.259 see. Then I began seeing this pattern. Everywhere 00:15:54.259 --> 00:15:57.460 in scripture before Joseph was called out of 00:15:57.460 --> 00:16:00.759 prison, God had already disturbed Pharaoh's sleep. 00:16:00.990 --> 00:16:04.529 Joseph didn't know it. He woke up thinking it 00:16:04.529 --> 00:16:07.830 was another ordinary morning in prison. He had 00:16:07.830 --> 00:16:12.330 no idea. That's somewhere else. God was already 00:16:12.330 --> 00:16:15.870 setting the stage for his promotion, before Esther 00:16:15.870 --> 00:16:19.509 risked her life before the king. God had already 00:16:19.509 --> 00:16:23.129 positioned her inside the palace years earlier, 00:16:23.690 --> 00:16:27.639 before Daniel entered the lion's den. God had 00:16:27.639 --> 00:16:30.279 already determined that the lions would not have 00:16:30.279 --> 00:16:34.240 the final word. Before Peter stood before rulers 00:16:34.240 --> 00:16:37.820 and authorities, Jesus had already promised him, 00:16:38.539 --> 00:16:42.259 don't worry about what you will say. The Holy 00:16:42.259 --> 00:16:46.100 Spirit will speak through you. Before Paul boarded 00:16:46.100 --> 00:16:49.139 the ship that would eventually be wrecked, God 00:16:49.139 --> 00:16:52.639 had already told him, you will stand before Caesar. 00:16:53.320 --> 00:16:57.659 Do you see the pattern? God never starts working. 00:16:58.379 --> 00:17:01.320 When we finally notice Him, He has already been 00:17:01.320 --> 00:17:05.460 working, long before we recognize His hand. And 00:17:05.460 --> 00:17:09.099 then another thought came into my spirit, one 00:17:09.099 --> 00:17:12.720 that completely overwhelmed me. Salvation itself 00:17:12.720 --> 00:17:17.500 was never an emergency plan. When Adam sinned, 00:17:17.519 --> 00:17:20.440 God didn't gather the angels and say, what do 00:17:20.440 --> 00:17:25.279 we do now? No, before humanity ever fell, God 00:17:25.279 --> 00:17:27.940 already knew redemption would come through Christ. 00:17:28.579 --> 00:17:31.680 God was never surprised, never caught off guard, 00:17:32.160 --> 00:17:35.240 never forced to improvise. And if salvation, 00:17:35.680 --> 00:17:38.900 the greatest story in human history, was never 00:17:38.900 --> 00:17:42.640 an emergency plan, why would I believe that my 00:17:42.640 --> 00:17:46.720 own life is? Why would I think that my valley 00:17:46.720 --> 00:17:51.519 caught God by surprise? Why would I imagine that 00:17:51.519 --> 00:17:55.160 my trial is forcing God to figure out a solution. 00:17:56.039 --> 00:18:00.420 No, that's not who He is. He is the God who declares 00:18:00.420 --> 00:18:03.539 the end from the beginning. He is already in 00:18:03.539 --> 00:18:06.740 tomorrow, while I'm still trying to understand 00:18:06.740 --> 00:18:11.259 today. And maybe that's why faith is so important, 00:18:11.660 --> 00:18:15.059 because faith is not believing that God will 00:18:15.059 --> 00:18:19.359 eventually start moving. Faith is believing that 00:18:19.359 --> 00:18:22.779 He is already moving. even when I cannot yet 00:18:22.779 --> 00:18:26.500 see it. Maybe that's why David could eventually 00:18:26.500 --> 00:18:30.019 sing again. Maybe that's why Joseph never gave 00:18:30.019 --> 00:18:33.480 up. Maybe that's why Paul could worship in prison. 00:18:33.920 --> 00:18:37.200 Maybe that's why Daniel kept praying. Not because 00:18:37.200 --> 00:18:40.259 they understood everything, but because somewhere 00:18:40.259 --> 00:18:45.000 deep inside, they had become convinced that God 00:18:45.000 --> 00:18:47.900 was already doing something greater than they 00:18:47.900 --> 00:18:51.059 could presently comprehend. And I don't know 00:18:51.059 --> 00:18:54.339 who needs to hear this today, but maybe while 00:18:54.339 --> 00:18:59.700 you are praying, God is already preparing. Maybe 00:18:59.700 --> 00:19:03.200 while you are crying, God is already gathering. 00:19:04.420 --> 00:19:08.720 Maybe while you are waiting, God is already opening. 00:19:09.880 --> 00:19:12.279 Maybe while you are wondering how this story 00:19:12.279 --> 00:19:15.980 will end, God has already written the next chapter. 00:19:16.980 --> 00:19:22.259 You simply haven't arrived there yet. And that 00:19:22.259 --> 00:19:25.980 brings me to one final thought, perhaps the most 00:19:25.980 --> 00:19:29.420 beautiful one of all, because if God was already 00:19:29.420 --> 00:19:33.559 gathering 400 men for David, what else had he 00:19:33.559 --> 00:19:37.000 already prepared before his servants ever entered 00:19:37.000 --> 00:19:40.200 their greatest battles? Then I started going 00:19:40.200 --> 00:19:44.339 through the Bible and I realized this is how 00:19:44.339 --> 00:19:48.059 God has always worked before Joseph walked out 00:19:48.059 --> 00:19:51.960 of prison. God had already disturbed Pharaoh's 00:19:51.960 --> 00:19:56.220 sleep. Before David left the cave, God had already 00:19:56.220 --> 00:19:59.480 gathered his future army. Before Esther stood 00:19:59.480 --> 00:20:03.099 before the king, God had already placed her inside 00:20:03.099 --> 00:20:06.400 the palace years before anyone understood why. 00:20:06.579 --> 00:20:09.720 Before Peter stood before rulers and authorities, 00:20:10.140 --> 00:20:13.480 Jesus had already promised him, don't worry about 00:20:13.480 --> 00:20:16.920 what you will say. The Holy Spirit will speak 00:20:16.920 --> 00:20:20.730 through you. before Paul ever arrived in Rome. 00:20:21.430 --> 00:20:25.230 God had already declared, you will testify before 00:20:25.230 --> 00:20:29.410 Caesar. Then my mind stopped at one story, the 00:20:29.410 --> 00:20:33.289 fiery furnace. I have read that story many times, 00:20:33.789 --> 00:20:37.289 but this time I saw something different. The 00:20:37.289 --> 00:20:40.950 king thought he controlled the furnace. He ordered 00:20:40.950 --> 00:20:44.380 it to be heated seven times hotter. The soldiers 00:20:44.380 --> 00:20:47.980 carrying Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were 00:20:47.980 --> 00:20:51.799 killed by the flames. The fire behaved exactly 00:20:51.799 --> 00:20:56.140 as fire should. It burned, it consumed, it killed. 00:20:56.539 --> 00:20:59.779 Nothing had changed about the nature of the fire, 00:21:00.039 --> 00:21:03.200 but something had already changed before those 00:21:03.200 --> 00:21:07.119 three men ever stepped inside. God had already 00:21:07.119 --> 00:21:10.859 gone before them. The fire still burned. but 00:21:10.859 --> 00:21:13.519 it could no longer accomplish what it was designed 00:21:13.519 --> 00:21:17.440 to do. Think about that. The men who approached 00:21:17.440 --> 00:21:21.380 the furnace without God's covering died. The 00:21:21.380 --> 00:21:24.900 men who entered it with God's presence walked. 00:21:25.700 --> 00:21:29.160 Not because the fire stopped being fire, because 00:21:29.160 --> 00:21:32.799 God had already prepared the outcome even before 00:21:32.799 --> 00:21:36.480 they entered. Then I remembered something else. 00:21:36.660 --> 00:21:40.059 When Israel stood in front of the Red Sea, It 00:21:40.059 --> 00:21:43.140 looked like there was no way forward. The sea 00:21:43.140 --> 00:21:46.200 was in front of them. Pharaoh was behind them. 00:21:46.619 --> 00:21:50.660 From a human perspective, it was over. But while 00:21:50.660 --> 00:21:53.940 they were wondering, God already had a path. 00:21:54.660 --> 00:21:58.420 The sea did not decide to open by itself. God 00:21:58.420 --> 00:22:02.339 already knew where his people would walk. He 00:22:02.339 --> 00:22:05.759 already knew where the walls of water would stand. 00:22:06.299 --> 00:22:09.750 He already knew Where Pharaoh's army would fall 00:22:09.750 --> 00:22:13.769 the miracle wasn't an emergency it was already 00:22:13.769 --> 00:22:18.609 in the heart of God and then Something became 00:22:18.609 --> 00:22:22.049 very clear to me Maybe that is why Paul could 00:22:22.049 --> 00:22:25.269 write with so much confidence We know that in 00:22:25.269 --> 00:22:28.369 all things God works for the good of those who 00:22:28.369 --> 00:22:31.869 love him who are called according to his purpose 00:22:31.869 --> 00:22:36.329 Notice what Paul doesn't say he doesn't say we 00:22:36.329 --> 00:22:42.160 hope He says, we know. How could he know? Because 00:22:42.160 --> 00:22:45.740 by then, Paul had walked with God long enough 00:22:45.740 --> 00:22:49.180 to understand something. God never starts working 00:22:49.180 --> 00:22:53.119 when we finally see him moving. He has already 00:22:53.119 --> 00:22:56.359 been moving, long before our eyes catch up with 00:22:56.359 --> 00:23:01.039 his plan. And maybe that is what faith really 00:23:01.039 --> 00:23:04.259 is. Faith is not trying to convince yourself 00:23:04.259 --> 00:23:07.839 that everything will somehow work out. Faith 00:23:07.839 --> 00:23:11.579 is resting in the certainty that God is already 00:23:11.579 --> 00:23:15.559 ahead of you, already in tomorrow, already in 00:23:15.559 --> 00:23:19.140 the courtroom, already in the valley, already 00:23:19.140 --> 00:23:23.140 in the fire, already in the prison, already preparing 00:23:23.140 --> 00:23:27.819 people, opening doors, closing others, moving 00:23:27.819 --> 00:23:32.880 hearts, ordering steps, arranging meetings, protecting 00:23:32.880 --> 00:23:35.559 you from dangers you will never even know existed. 00:23:36.869 --> 00:23:40.569 Maybe the greatest miracles in your life are 00:23:40.569 --> 00:23:44.190 the ones you never saw. The conversations God 00:23:44.190 --> 00:23:47.970 prevented, the accidents he stopped, the doors 00:23:47.970 --> 00:23:51.650 he closed, the people he removed, the attacks 00:23:51.650 --> 00:23:55.750 he never allowed to reach you. And maybe one 00:23:55.750 --> 00:23:58.950 day in eternity, God will show us everything 00:23:58.950 --> 00:24:02.170 he was doing while we thought he was silent. 00:24:03.289 --> 00:24:06.680 That thought fills my heart with peace. Because 00:24:06.680 --> 00:24:10.259 it reminds me that my life has never been in 00:24:10.259 --> 00:24:15.259 my hands. It has always been in his. So if today 00:24:15.259 --> 00:24:18.940 you find yourself in a cave, don't assume heaven 00:24:18.940 --> 00:24:22.359 has stopped moving. While David was sitting in 00:24:22.359 --> 00:24:26.119 the cave, God was already gathering 400 men. 00:24:26.380 --> 00:24:29.819 While Joseph was sleeping in prison, God was 00:24:29.819 --> 00:24:32.740 already troubling Pharaoh's dreams. While the 00:24:32.740 --> 00:24:35.619 three Hebrew men were walking toward the furnace, 00:24:35.960 --> 00:24:39.559 God had already gone before them. While Esther 00:24:39.559 --> 00:24:43.400 was faithfully serving, God was already preparing 00:24:43.400 --> 00:24:47.019 the moment that would save a nation. And while 00:24:47.019 --> 00:24:50.140 you are praying today, while you are wondering, 00:24:50.779 --> 00:24:53.779 while you are waiting, while you are trying to 00:24:53.779 --> 00:24:57.539 understand, God is already moving. He always 00:24:57.539 --> 00:25:01.200 has been. Because our God is never caught by 00:25:01.200 --> 00:25:05.000 surprise. He never improvises. He never reacts. 00:25:05.319 --> 00:25:08.779 He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning 00:25:08.779 --> 00:25:12.700 and the end, the one who declares the end from 00:25:12.700 --> 00:25:16.920 the beginning. And perhaps that is why I can 00:25:16.920 --> 00:25:20.079 finally rest. Not because I know how this story 00:25:20.079 --> 00:25:23.799 ends, but because I know the one who has already 00:25:23.799 --> 00:25:28.299 written the ending. So I'll keep praying. I'll 00:25:28.299 --> 00:25:31.940 keep dwelling. I'll keep trusting. I'll keep 00:25:31.940 --> 00:25:35.539 believing. Because if history has taught us anything, 00:25:36.339 --> 00:25:40.519 it is this. God has never abandoned those who 00:25:40.519 --> 00:25:43.519 made Him their dwelling place, and He will not 00:25:43.519 --> 00:25:46.859 begin with you. Amen. Hallelujah.