Holding On Until the End

I'm a sucker for a good romantic comedy. Even adventure movies. But horror films and tragedies have never sat well with me.

I like happy endings.

When the guy and girl end up together, when the family finds their way home, when things end up 'as they should be.' Even when I start watching a movie late at night. It doesn't even matter if I've seen it before. More than once. I like watching it until the very end... just to be sure it ended the way I remembered it.

Perhaps that's why this adventure is so difficult. I have absolutely no idea how it will unfold.

I've been thinking about several stories in the Bible where it paid to wait until the very end. If you would have walked out weeks, days, or even minutes before the end, you would have thought it was a tragedy. When, in fact, it was actually a huge success story.

When Abraham was asked to use his first and only son as a sacrifice, he didn't hesitate. Even Isaac didn't seem to question when his dad tied him to the coals. He trusted him. Just as Abraham trusted his Heavenly Father. It wasn't until the knife was raised into the air, poised for his son's heart, that God said, "Stop!" I wonder what was going through Isaac's head at that exact moment. God waited until the very last minute to rescue Abraham from the possibility of killing his only son. And in turn for his obedience, God blessed him and made him a father of many nations.

When God used Moses to petition Pharaoh to let His people go, we have to read through several chapters and ten plagues in order to get to the part where Pharaoh finally gave in. But even after he gave in, he then changed his mind. He chased down God's people with the intent to kill; he would not lose this battle. But God rescued His people once again and allowed for the sea to open up just long enough for the Israelites to walk safely to the other side. On dry land. Perhaps we've heard that story so many times we don't even realize the magnitude of what God did. So many small miracles in those circumstances. But even that wasn't the end of the story. God walked them through years and years of desolation before He was finally able to bring them to the Promised Land. That story took a lot longer than even the Israelites would have wanted.

And there's the many little miracles Jesus performed in the Bible. The man who was born blind at birth. Never anticipated being able to see. But... God. The little girl who He visited at her home, hours after she had died. Most people would have seen that as being late. But... God. The countless people whose lives He changed. Turned around. Encouraged. Healed. Not according to their timeline, but according to His perfect plan.

We only see a portion of the picture. A small piece of the puzzle. Sometimes it's difficult to see how God might be working out a problem while we're struggling to stay afloat in our current circumstances. But just because He doesn't answer us in the way we want, exactly when we want it doesn't mean that He is turning a blind eye to our plight. Perhaps it just means there's a bigger story He's working out.

"And we know that in all things
God works for the good of those who love him,
who have been called according to his purpose."
Romans 8:28

God will use for good, what Satan meant for evil. God never promised us that we wouldn't need to go through hardships while here on earth. We live in a fallen, sinful world. Bad stuff happens all the time, and evil does not discriminate. But what He does promise is that He will use our circumstances for good, if we allow Him.

We just have to promise to hold on... until the very end.