At such times, it’s helpful to remember that God sees the big picture. He’s always working to accomplish His purposes, and though we may not understand what’s happening, He is in full control at all times.
Dr. Stanley outlines seven truths from Scripture to remind us that no matter what we see, we can trust God to fulfill all His promises and complete His perfect plan. In times of suffering and confusion, you can find peace through patience and faith.
every once in a while somebody will say
to me you know what you talked about how
good god is and when you trust them is
your personal Savior he enters your life
and you have the holy spirit and things
get better well I trust in Jesus Christ
as my personal Savior and things got
worse and all of us that probably said
that about some things we think when you
trust Jesus as your personal Savior you
have all these promises in the Word of
God and sometimes it looks like real
disaster comes following what we think
is the promise of God and sometimes we
can’t explain what God is up to because
we wanted it the right thing but somehow
it doesn’t turn out right and if you’ll
think about Moses for example from the
time he left the burning bush he he
listened to God he was absolutely
stunned about what he heard what he saw
and so he left the burning bush
committed to do exactly what God want
him to do and he did and he was to tell
Pharaoh that he was to let the people go
well instead of Pharaoh
listening to him he doubled their work
now they couldn’t just make break they
had to find the straw to make brick with
and so the number one enemy at this
particular point in the life of the
Hebrew children was of all people Moses
because Pharaoh had doubled their
responsibility in his requirements he
was sure he did what God said and he did
do what God said but the outcome wasn’t
like he expected they all of us hit
those things in my life well we think we
know exactly what God said and the same
thing happened says it doesn’t turn out
like we expected so when I look at this
passage of Scripture I think this is a
paid subscription that describes what
happens to us we want to do the right
thing we think we have done the right
thing we think we’ve listened to God
it doesn’t turn out that way and so we
judge ourselves condemn ourselves and
say God you weren’t listening at all and
we build this big pity party up and
accuse God so what is the solution to
all that so I want you to turn for a
moment if you will in the third chapter
of Exodus beginning with a tenth verse
therefore come down he said and I will
send you to Pharaoh so that you may
bring my people the sons of Israel out
of Egypt that was a big responsibility
and requirement but Moses said to God
Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and
that I should bring the sons of Israel
out of Egypt and he said certainly I
will be with you and this should be the
son to you that I it is I who have sent
you when you have brought the people out
of Egypt you shall worship God at this
mountain then Moses said to God behold
on going to the sons of Israel and I
will say to them the god of your
father’s has sent me to you now they may
say to me what is his name what shall I
say to them God said to Moses I am Who I
am
and he said thus you shall say to the
sons of Israel I am has sent you so what
I want us to notice yeah I want you jot
down seven things when trouble comes we
have to remember his promises and those
promises are vital as a part of a belief
system and if you turn to Hebrews for
example and let’s look at that couple of
verses here in the tenth chapter the
tenth chapter xxiii verse the scripture
says let us hold fast the confession of
our hope without wavering for he who
promised is faithful and then the 36th
verse he says but you have need of
endurance so that when you have done the
will of God you may receive what is
promised so I think all of us
probably had the idea we were saved
wife’s really didn’t really get better
for me and most of the time it does and
probably in some way it does but
oftentimes not the way we expect people
who’ve lived the life of sin and
disobedience to God
just because you trust Christ as your
Savior does not mean listen carefully it
doesn’t mean he’s wiped all the
consequences away it does mean your name
is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life it
does mean your sins have been forgiven
it does mean you have a new life but
that all the consequences don’t
disappear simply because we asked Christ
to save us so the trouble in trouble
comes we have to remember his promises
secondly he said to him for example in
the sixth chapter in the first verse he
says here’s what you can expect Pharaoh
will drive the Hebrews out of Egypt well
that’s exactly what Moses one of the
here and this is a promise from God
he’ll drive them out and then he says I
will harden Pharaoh’s heart well now
that changed the whole story here are
the things you’re gonna do and yet you
tell me you’re gonna harden Pharaoh’s
heart sometimes when we’re going through
difficulty it looks like that God’s
working on the other side it’s like he’s
working in behalf of the enemy but God
always wants us to look beyond the
immediate circumstance because God
doesn’t just work in a tiny molecule a
tiny circle he works for the big picture
in mind and this is why you and I should
learn to listen to God carefully God
doesn’t make any mistakes and when he
speaks to your heart and sometimes
people will say well I guess I misheard
God no no you miss and he didn’t miss
hearing you misinterpreting what he said
he didn’t say I’m gonna make everything
easy for the Hebrews he said I’m gonna
set him free and I’m gonna do so by
hardening Pharaoh’s heart well you
already know the story hardening
Pharaoh’s heart caused great havoc among
the people of the Hebrew nation
and so sometimes when God makes us a
promise listen carefully he doesn’t give
us the details well why doesn’t he well
you’d have to ask him that you can’t
even question God if you want to but
listen God knows what his purpose is now
watch this his goal is always for our
good his purpose is always there work
something in our life that will bring
goodness they will bring joy in our
hearts but sometimes it brings difficult
and hardship and pain and suffering
there is no promise in the Word of God
that Yankees will have a life without
suffering in a heartache in pain and so
we have to remember who we’re dealing me
we’re dealing with a God who loves us
unconditionally who saves us from our
sin he will never leave us nor forsake
us and answers our prayers but does not
promise that save us from all suffering
heartache and even unto death so when we
look at this God’s promise to Moses was
an awesome promise but he didn’t say
it’s just gonna be easy it’s gonna be a
wonderful Exodus it’s gonna be
absolutely fantastic Moses you’re gonna
be sitting on top of the world none of
that so the third thing I want you to
notice is this God is working to
accomplish his purpose we don’t even see
it when we don’t understand it and in
the seventh chapter of Exodus and the
fifth Oris he says the Egyptians shall
know that I am the Lord when I stretch
out my hand on Egypt and bring out the
sons of Israel from their midst he says
here’s what’s going to happen I’m not
giving you all the details but remember
this I am the Lord when I stretch out my
hand on Egypt bring out the sons of
Israel from them is so Moses and Aaron
did as the command LORD commanded them
and thus they did Moses was 80 years old
that happened so he’s assuring him of
what’s going to happen but he doesn’t
give him all the
tails he says here’s what I’m going to
do so think about this listen to that
verse again God says I’m going to
release them and then what happens the
scripture says after he says I’m gonna
release them God unleashed a series of
plagues from turning the rivers the
blood to the death of Pharaoh’s son how
did that fit into the promise I’m gonna
I’m gonna set my people free then he
says the Egyptians are gonna know that
I’m God and sometimes we see the
evidence of God at work and we don’t
understand always how he does it
God makes his promise you say well does
he always keep his promise yes
does he always give us the details no
because that’s the way you and I grow in
our faith by believing him trusting him
when I don’t understand it
God nowhere promises I’ll always
understand he promises to keep his word
he promises that he’ll be with us in it
he promises to provide our need but that
I’ll not that I’ll always understand
sometimes we see the evidence of God
working in our life and sometimes we
can’t that is Moses couldn’t foresee
what God had in mind and when he says
I’m gonna use you to set him free and
then he sees what happens naturally he
wonders for God hears what you said but
we have to remember that God does not
always give us details did you hear that
well a few of you did he he does not
always give us details amen
so that’s where we found out whether we
trust him or not and usually when God
speaks about something good he’s going
to do here’s what we do our mind jumps
from today to the good so we don’t like
to think about what’s been what’s the
what’s the difference between the
promise today and the good tomorrow a
lot of things can happen in that space
of time and so what happens here is it
took the death of Pharaoh’s son to
convince him to let the people go
well that’s exactly what God had planned
he knew exactly what would have to
happen before Pharaoh would let the
people go so think about all the plagues
and so forth happen we’ll talk about
those later but God is working to
accomplish his purpose but not always in
the ways we expect and so the fourth
thing I want you to jot down and all of
this is this we’re to trust him to keep
his promise our responsibility is not
necessarily to understand at all but to
trust him to keep his promise that’s a
requirement we’re to trust the Lord
I know with all your heart lean not to
your own understanding in all your ways
acknowledge him and he’ll direct your
paths straight so the more difficult our
circumstances the greater our struggle
and in some trials we face all we have
his word we had the Living Word of God
the Bible and what he said to Moses what
he you and I have today in the
scriptures are the same it’s the same
God who made this promise of Moses who
makes these promises to us and so God
spoke to Moses and he expected Moses to
follow what he said and then here all
these Hebrews who’ve got lots of reasons
to question first of all about what
authority can you tell us this and how
do you know that Pharaoh is going to
respond they had lots and lots of
questions
so Moses in a tough spot watch this
carefully because he’s in that he’s in
the same place you and I are at times so
what did Moses have here watch this this
is all he had and I’ll be with you and
I’ll be with you told him lots of things
but all he had was I’ll be with you and
I want you to think about this that’s
all you and I have everything you and I
have can be lost in a second all of our
plans can fail all the things we possess
could burn up our crash or whatever it
might be we have no
guarantee of anything as a believer but
the presence and the power and the love
of Almighty God that’s all we have and I
think about people who spend their life
investing in this and debt accumulating
and accumulating and accumulated and
what they’re doing they they’ll deny
this
they’re trying to get more and more
security well listen security is not
found in the stock market it’s not found
in the malls it’s not found in any of
these places security can only be found
in the presence of the Living God
that’s all Moses had when he went to see
Pharaoh all he had listened to think
about this this is the Moses who got
ejected out of Egypt forty years before
nine he’s 40 years old there’s a
different Pharaoh doesn’t know him
except what they know about him and he’s
coming back across the desert and
telling telling Pharaoh you must let the
Hebrews go well that was a joke
there was think about this you come in
here with Shepherd staff telling me to
free two million slaves who are building
all of my enterprises and you think I’m
gonna listen to that naturally they
think so so I want you to jot this and
down number five we must remember God is
the sovereign of the universe and
everything is within his power and my
favorite verse is the Psalm 103 and
you’ll hear me quote it many times but I
just want you to turn there and if I
just quote it you all turn so some 103
verse 19
listen the Lord has established his
throne in the heavens and his
sovereignty which means his power his
love all that he is does what his
sovereignty rules over all that means
the power of Almighty God rules
all and remember one of the things that
God said to him before he left to go to
see Pharaoh I’ll be with you I will be
with you and what he watched us what he
said to Moses he has said to every
single one of us who was a follower of
Jesus I’ll be with you to the end of
this age beyond that when you trust the
Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior the
Holy Spirit comes into your life to live
seals use a channel of God and so it’s
not that we do this in our power it’s
that we walk in his strength and in his
power and so it’s the power of God and
so whatever we’re asking him about
whatever we need in now I we listen he’s
the sovereign god of the universe which
means he’s capable powerful enough and
able to do anything that needs to be
done in our life now watch this think
about this for a moment when you trusted
Jesus Christ as your Savior you and I
would agree that he wrote our names in
his Lamb’s Book of Life that he came
into her life through the Holy Spirit
and the seal is forever as a child of
God can’t be lost forever sealed he
lives in and through us each one of us
individually his will through the power
of the Holy Spirit we have that
relationship to him that means we have
tapped into the presence and the power
of God for every single aspect of our
life you have the sovereign God of the
universe the same one who walked with
Moses to see Pharaoh who could have
obliterated him in a split second if you
don’t chose them to be when God said
I’ll be with you
Pharaoh couldn’t do anything to Moses
because God was with him and sometimes
we forget who we have within us and what
we have because we have him so
we have the confidence that he’ll keep
his word the sixth thing I want you to
jot down God oftentimes has an
unexpected plan to meet our needs shut
that one down
God often times has an unexpected plan
to meet our needs so when I think about
that and think about what the scripture
says in Romans and in Romans chapter 9
verse 17 listen what he says for the
scripture says to Pharaoh for this very
purpose that wants this for this very
purpose I raised you up to demonstrate
my power in you and that my name might
be proclaimed throughout the whole earth
so if some of us says explain all that
stuff in in Exodus that’s the verse
right there look at that well the
scripture says to Pharaoh for this
purpose I raised you up to demonstrate
my power in you and that my name might
be proclaimed throughout the whole earth
then pass now so look at these two men
his Pharaoh who rules over everything
2 million enslaved Jews he thinks he’s
somebody but God says I’m going to show
you him Who I am
and so what did he do in one event he
took his son it took that to convince
Pharaoh that God was God well why did he
go into all that here’s what his word
God was doing he was dim he was
demonstrating his awesome power against
what and who was the most powerful
person on earth at the time and so God
isn’t just up to doing this and that in
the other God always has a reason and
the goal and a purpose and one of the
reasons he allows you and me to go
through difficult to hardship and pain
Injection and all the rest is that he’s
teaching us to trust him he’s teaching
us that the most difficult times of our
life the most painful times for life God
is doing something good in our life so
you may ask a Hebrew back in those days
when the plagues were coming and the
things were happening all around them
well it’s got a good gun they didn’t
fully understand everything that was
happening Moses knew what was happening
because what did God have in mind or
what did God do he didn’t just let them
go when they went the Bible says they
plundered the Egyptians that is they
took their wealth with them and
sometimes we can’t see what God is up to
and the last statement is this God is
never late with his deliverance never
late we may pray a long time about some
things we may go through some difficulty
heartache whatever it might be but God
is never late with his deliverance he
may be late according to my timetable
but not here the Hebrews listen to this
waited 400 years
you saw that sounds late to me not in
God’s mind because the question is
what’s the purpose of God he was watch
this he was demonstrating to the nation
of Israel that is the Hebrews
demonstrating this something to them
they would never forget they would tell
their children’s children’s children’s
children’s up to the 21st century and on
until Jesus comes again that day God of
the Hebrews is the one true God Jehovah
and he’s the sovereign of the universe
that’s the God in whom we believe and
whom we serve and that’s why we can sing
and shout and praise God and be
unashamed that we believe him in every
circumstance of
so if you will recall when trouble comes
we trust him we don’t try to figure it
out
God’s made all these promises in his
Bible the question is do I believe what
he’s given in black and white I will
never leave you nor forsake you I’ll be
there for you no matter what happens
I’ll provide your needs I’ll take you
through the storm and you have eternal
security do you know how blessed you are
you think about the only complaining we
do how blessed we are and the promise is
not by somebody it’s by the sovereign
god of the universe who has the power to
bless you the way he wants to bless you
grows all up in the faith and make our
life an example and a testimony to the
unbeliever who’s struggling and you may
be one of those persons he’s struggling
this morning maybe you don’t know
whether you believe in God or not you
can’t give me a good reason for not
believing in him yeah here here’s
hundreds of pages written world of God
for believing in him and he says
whosoever shall call upon the name of
the Lord shall be saved God might be
shall be saved this goodness of the God
and whom we serve and whom we believe
it’s a God of grace love and forgiveness
and I challenge you if you never trust
in Jesus Christ as your Savior
surrendered your life to me maybe you
don’t want to send lot of things in the
Bible there’s some things now don’t
understand I might not have done it this
way that a will but it’s God’s Way it’s
a perfect way for God knew what he was
after he’ll forgive you of your sin if
you ask him not because you’re gonna be
better not because of the promises you
made but because his son doubted on the
cross shed his blood and saves any and
every person who’s when they call upon
him just like the Death Angel passed
through Egypt you didn’t have blood on
the doorpost there would be death
you don’t trust them as your Saviour you
don’t believe in the blood of Jesus you
don’t believe in the crucifixion you
don’t believe in the crucified Lord
one of these days you stand before man
give an account and all your excuses
will be null and void and I invite you
ask Christ to save you and let him
change your life today and govern your
life forever amen
let’s stand together father we love you
and praise you and thank you for the
awesomeness of the scripture for the way
you worked in the life of your servants
all through from Genesis to Revelation
and I pray that you will remind us again
and again Lord when we need to be
reminded you never change you said you
didn’t change and you don’t we have the
awesome privilege of coming upon you in
any and every circumstance of life you
don’t have a deaf ear to your children
we thank you and bless you and praise
you today then we have the privilege of
calling upon you and the assurance that
you will hear us in Jesus name Amen
you