I woke up to an unexpected blessing, and on top of that, the parents of one of the children in my classroom offered to buy us lunch that morning…whatever we wanted. It just felt like it was going to be one of those good days. Do you know what I mean? It was Friday, I was excited to enjoy my family for the weekend, and by 9am I was feeling the blessing and favor of the Lord. What could go wrong?
Well…not even an hour later, right after I put my lunch order in, my day took an unexpected turn. I looked over, and saw my three-year-old walking through the door to my classroom with his teacher. In that split second, I thought maybe he was sad and needed a hug, or maybe he fell and scraped his knee…but it was much worse. All I could see was her holding a bloody paper towel to his face. It happened so fast, and in slow motion at the same time. She was trying to explain what happened, but I couldn’t grasp what she was saying. All I could focus on was this paper towel filled with blood. And then, I pulled the towel away…a part of his bottom lip was hanging, and two teeth were missing. She continued to explain what happened, but I still wasn’t hearing her. All I could think about was how hurt he was. It had only been a couple of hours since I last saw him…he was fine, and now he is not. How did things change so quickly…the situation completely caught me off guard. So many feelings rushed through my mind in a matter of minutes.
Finally, I got to the point where I was ready to hear what happened. His teacher explained that he was running up some steps on the playground, missed a step, and fell. His face hit the step; he bit his lip, and two teeth fell out.
I sat there, holding my son. I reassured him that everything was going to be okay; but honestly, that’s not how I felt. I was afraid for him–as I thought of having to take him to the emergency room. I knew he would have to get stitches, and like any other mother, I didn’t want to see my child afraid, or in pain. This was not at all how I saw our day going. My mind continued to be filled with thoughts…sadness, fear, uncertainty. But…I remember in the middle of all of it thinking…that He knew. He knew that I would get that unexpected blessing early in the morning. He knew that we would get blessed with lunch that day. And He knew that my son would be injured during recess. Maybe I had no idea what would happen that day, but He did.
We might not know when the unexpected will occur, but He does.
You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. (Psalms 139:16 NLT)
As I thought of this scripture, a sense of peace came over me. I realized that I didn’t need to be afraid. I didn’t need to worry about the outcome. I didn’t need to figure out how to fix the problem, or wonder if my son would be okay. I no longer needed to know these things, because I found peace in the fact that He knows everything. But it doesn’t end there. Not only does He know all things…He prepares a way for us through all things.
Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.” (Deuteronomy 31:8 NLT)
“But I said to you, ‘Don’t be shocked or afraid of them! The Lord your God is going ahead of you. He will fight for you, just as you saw him do in Egypt. (Deuteronomy 1:29-30 NLT)
For you shall not go out with haste, Nor go by flight; For the Lord will go before you, And the God of Israel will be your rear guard. (Isaiah 52:12 NKJV)`
The Lord will go before us.
These words were spoken to the Israelites over and over again on their journey. The Lord wanted them to know that they didn’t need to fear the journey, and they didn’t need to fear their enemies, because He would be with them…He would stand guard behind them. But more importantly, He would go before them. What does this mean? It means that He would be the first one on the scene…that He would arrive at the situation before they would. And because He would get there first, He would remove any obstacles in their way, and He would send His favor and grace ahead of them.
I will go before you and will level the mountains; I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron. (Isaiah 45:2 NIV)
What does this look like?
In the book of Judges, we read about the time that Gideon defeated the Midianite army. The astonishing part of the story isn’t that they won. The most amazing part is that they defeated this massive army with only 300 men. To the naked eye, they were at a major disadvantage. But, they had the God of the universe on their side. He was with them. He had their back. He went before them.
It was just after midnight, after the changing of the guard, when Gideon and the 100 men with him reached the edge of the Midianite camp. Suddenly, they blew the rams’ horns and broke their clay jars. Then all three groups blew their horns and broke their jars. They held the blazing torches in their left hands and the horns in their right hands, and they all shouted, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” Each man stood at his position around the camp and watched as all the Midianites rushed around in a panic, shouting as they ran to escape. When the 300 Israelites blew their rams’ horns, the Lord caused the warriors in the camp to fight against each other with their swords. Those who were not killed fled to places as far away as Beth-shittah near Zererah and to the border of Abel-meholah near Tabbath. (Judges 7:19-22 NLT)
The Israelite army faced an impossible situation…I’m sure they were afraid, but they were able to move forward in faith because they believed that God would go before them, and they believed that His presence would give them favor in the situation.
When God goes before us, He makes sure that the outcome is in our favor.
I was so worried for my son. I wished I could erase what had happened. I wished that he didn’t have to go through any of it. But as I look back over this past weekend…I see the fingerprints of God all over it. I see Him in the hospital room, as my brave little boy sat there unafraid…he allowed the doctor to work on his lip without a flinch. I see the hands of the Lord, as the dentist told us that his gums would heal and his adult teeth would be unaffected. Everything that I was afraid of…they Lord sent His grace for.
Maybe you’re reading this, and you’re facing a situation that’s much more serious than mine. Maybe you were hit with the unthinkable, unexpectedly, and you’re questioning if God is with you. Does He even see you? If He is with you, why would He not prevent the tragedy that you are going through? I have asked myself these questions so many times in the past…honestly, I asked myself these questions just a couple of days ago. But if I’ve been reminded of anything this past weekend, it’s that the Lord is always with us. He’s with us in the middle of the tragedy. He’s with us in the middle of our worry, fear, and sorrow…and He wants us to know that although we feel the pain of the present, He has already been to our future. He has gone before us. He has removed the obstacle. He has leveled the mountain. He has sent His grace ahead of us…He has ensured that the situation will work out in our favor. So right now…we must trust in Him. We must choose to look past what we see now, so that we can grab ahold of what He has in store for us.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you for reminding me that regardless of my circumstances, you are always with me. When the unthinkable happens unexpectedly, you are with me. When I’m hit with a storm out of nowhere, you are with me. And thank you for reminding me that regardless of what I see, you have gone before me, and you have taken steps to ensure that the situation works out in my favor. Father, today I am making the decision to trust you in the middle of the uncertainty. I am making the decision to trust you with my frustration and through every tragedy. I know that as I trust you, I will experience your grace and favor in my life. I love you Father. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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