God at Work

“We can have a deep-seated assurance in a sovereign God whose work, both visible and invisible, transcends time and human understanding.”

In Chicago, warm weather signals the start of construction season. Those orange cones and detour signs can be frustrating. It can feel like things are getting worse instead of better. But those “Road Work Ahead” signs remind us that there’s a lot happening behind the scenes. The same is true in our own lives. Some of you may be living in a disruptive moment right now. Your life as you’ve known it is in disrepair. And while seasons of upheaval can be exhausting and frustrating, I want to assure you that God is in control.

God often uses difficult times in our lives to shape and equip us for the future, though sometimes in ways hidden to us. The prophet Jeremiah, lived during such a season, a time when God’s people faced despair. Lamentations describe their misery: “My splendor is gone and all that I had hoped from the LORD” (Lam. 3:18). This was not the first time that God’s people had suffered harsh treatment. Exodus tells us of the unbearable oppression the Israelites faced: “So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor…But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites” (Ex. 1:12).

What God’s people could not see while enslaved in Egypt was that the stage was being set for something far greater to unfold. Despite their brutal conditions, this period was crucial for multiplying their numbers and setting up the dramatic deliverance that would follow. God was preparing His people for their future role as a nation, while also building their trust and dependence on Him.

When we’re faced with adversity, whether it is the death of a loved one or bad news from a doctor, we must remember that God is still at work to bring about His greater plan and purposes in us and through us. “Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (Lam. 3:22–23). God may even be preparing us for the future we might not have considered otherwise. We can have a deep-seated assurance in a sovereign God whose work, both visible and invisible, transcends time and human understanding.