1334 News + All This is from God

As we seek the Lord’s direction in these difficult days, we need to look no further than His Word. Sometimes lessons from the Old Testament contain the exact answers we need today (Rom. 15:4). By studying well-documented times of trouble and turmoil that resemble our own, we can see patterns in how God works, gaining insight into His ways. I recently came across what I believe is just what we need today.

Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, had become king over all of Israel, but after he had listened to the advice of his young friends instead of the elders, the ten northern tribes rebelled and rejected him as their king. When he had come to Jerusalem, he assembled the houses of Judah and Benjamin, 180,000 chosen warriors, to fight against Israel to restore the kingdom to himself. But the Lord told Shemaiah, the man of God, to tell Rehoboam and all Israel in Judah and Benjamin, that the Lord had said they should neither go up nor fight against their relatives. Instead, every man should return home because the breaking away of the ten northern tribes was from God (2 Chron. 11:1-4). God had told Solomon that He would tear the kingdom out of the hand of his son because Solomon had gone after other gods and forsaken God’s covenant and statutes (1 Kings 11:11).

Disobedience has consequences, and judgment day had come. Everything happened just as the Lord had said. While Rehoboam had acted foolishly, God used it to accomplish His purpose. When Jeroboam became king over the ten northern tribes, he prevented the Levites from serving as priests and appointed illegitimate priests of his own to officiate over the high places for the goat-like idols and calves he had made. God responded by sending the disenfranchised Levites to Jerusalem where they could serve the Lord. Consequently, the southern kingdom was strengthened, and God would preserve His covenant with David. Scripture reveals that things do not end well for national Israel, but God always has a faithful remnant that will be the recipient of His promises—the real Israel.

Fast forward to today. Our nation has become fractured, and bad advice is everywhere. If we are to thrive and survive, we must see all that is happening through God’s eyes. I believe that like Israel, our nation is experiencing the consequences of a host of sins, but also the consequences of God’s prophetic plan, including His promises to His remnant. God will use what appear to be stupid or evil decisions to direct His people right where they need to be. What appears to be a random disruption is likely the hand of God, so stay tuned to what He may be doing, not what you think is happening around and to you.

Christ promised that He would build His Church and the gates of hell would not prevail against it. Nothing that is built well comes easy. Pain and suffering will always be required, but God finishes everything He starts, and so does Christ. He wastes nothing, and He will use everything in your life to fulfill His purposes for you, especially the difficult and painful things. Ask God for His perspective and look to Scripture for examples of how He previously responded to situations like yours. Eventually, if you seek God’s perspective, you will see that, indeed, all this is from God.