“Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: Though I removed them far off among the nations, and though I scattered them among the countries, yet I have been a sanctuary to them for a while in the countries where they have gone.’” – Ezekiel 11:16
Our limited perspective on time makes it easy to misunderstand God’s big picture. We see and feel our present situation very intensely. When the present hurts, it’s hard to imagine any good coming from it. We generally expect the future to be an extension of the present. So, when the present is disastrous, we assume the worst about the future. This leads us to doubt God’s goodness, wisdom, or power. We should not, because unlike us, God sees perfectly across all of time. He understands all things and how they weave together. He knows that the best future often comes out of the most painful present.
When people from Israel were taken into exile by invaders, that had to feel like a complete disaster. Many probably doubted God’s power or goodness in permitting that to happen. Staying home certainly would have seemed preferable to being ripped from their home and taken to a foreign land at the point of sword. However, God explained their perception of the situation was completely backward. He emphasizes that He caused this disaster (because of Israel’s unfaithfulness). Then He reveals that the exiles are the ones who are actually in the better situation!
God explains that it’s the exiles that He’s guarding, sheltering, and protecting. It’s the exiles that He’s refining, bringing to deeper faith, and planning to return home. Those left behind, who seemed so very fortunate, were actually the one’s who were in the hopeless situation. They were the ones who wouldn’t turn back to God, wouldn’t be redeemed, and wouldn’t be restored! The human understanding of the situation was the complete opposite of reality!
Learn from this and trust God more than your own interpretation of your situation. Recognize that even in the midst of what appears to be disaster, God is present, powerful, and active. Realize that what feels like disaster may actually be for good. Understand that what may look like a fortunate blessing for someone else might be the opposite and that what feels like a curse might be a blessing. Turn to God in good times and bad. Worship and follow Him closely at all times. Trust Him when things seems darkest. Know that He’s with you in that dark season and can bring forth rich blessings from deep sorrow. #FollowJesus