Point Made!
Today's post will not be long. It doesn't need to be. I just wanted to take a moment to share with you how good and faithful God is. Do you remember Tuesday's post, Appearances Can Be Deceiving? If not, you may want to go back and read it. Only then will this really have the impact it should. In that post I gave you some wonderful Biblical examples of how things weren't really as bad as they seemed and how things worked out in the end, right? Well, just to make sure we don't have the impression that instances like that are reserved for Bible times, I'd like to share with you how I experienced a similar situation this week.
I was scheduled to speak at a ladies' meeting on Wednesday night, the 22nd, and the pastor of the church I was to speak at asked me to bring some of my books. Gladly, I thought. And so, based on my many past experiences with ordering books to have on hand for the meeting, I placed the order in plenty of time for the books to arrive. Typically, after I place an order, I receive an e-mail that very day or the next day at the latest telling me that the books had been shipped. Unfortunately, this time, more than a week had passed, and I still hadn't gotten word that the order had shipped.
On Monday, I was growing nervous. I had a few books on hand, but I was completely out of some of my bestsellers. Part of me wanted to go crazy with worry, but thankfully, God gave me the strength to say, "No, I'm not going to stress about it. If the books get here in time, fine. If not, then God has a reason. It's not that big a deal!"
On Monday afternoon, I checked the order status which read, "Order complete. Waiting for shipment." Well, that was that. Monday was a holiday, so they certainly weren't going to ship that day, and if they shipped out on Tuesday, the likelihood that they would arrive by Wednesday was slim. Still, I felt calm. A little disappointed, but calm.
Late Monday night, I received an e-mail stating that the book order had been shipped. I couldn't believe it. It shipped out on a holiday. And I began to hope that the order might just arrive by Wednesday. Imagine my surprise when I checked the order status on Tuesday morning (note, I said Tuesday, not Wednesday) and saw that the package was out for delivery. Sure enough, I received the books during the middle of the day on Tuesday, a full day before I needed them.
It appeared that the books wouldn't arrive on time. All the evidence pointed to the fact that the book order would be delayed. But appearances can be deceiving. I received the order in plenty of time. Isn't God good?
I don't know what you're facing today, but no matter how bad things may look, just hang in there. Trust in the One who's in control, and wait for His perfect timing. You'll be glad you did!