WHEN IT SEEMS AS IF

By Helen Jesze, 29^th July 2022

There are often difficult situations and times in our lives, when it seems as if everything is going wrong, and the answers we need are a long time in coming. When it seems as if the devil is winning and our prodigal son or daughter will never come home…

When it seems as if all our prayers and tears are in vain…

When it seems as if the night will never give place to dawn … When it seems as if Goliath will conquer David and Daniel is already on the lions’ menu… When your dreams have died and sorrow has numbed every emotion …

When it seems as if the waves are flooding the boat of your life .. When your world has crumbled, leaving only rubble and ashes … When your friends call you a fanatic because you believe the Word of God, saying you have no future and you’re just a failure …

When circumstances fight against you, circling like vultures waiting till the animal dies … When the bills are piling up and there seems no way to pay them … When people with “the ministry of discouragement” rob you of your last shred of courage and fill you with fear …

When it seems as if self-pity is your only friend and adviser, and humanly speaking there’s no way out … When it seems as if Jesus is only bothered with other Christians, and has no time for you … When it seems as if bitterness and envy want to destroy you …

When it seems as if …

In situations like these we have two possibilities:
We can give up, or stand fast till we see our breakthrough!

The easiest way would be to allow ourselves to be discouraged and just give up. We need no faith to pray: Lord, let me die! I can’t go on!”

To say: “I can do this because Jesus gives me the strength!” requires faith

In the Bible there are many examples where it seems “as if…”. The tension builds up as we read how it seems as if the enemy is winning and God is somewhere in the background, as in the Book of Esther. Haman ordered a gallows to be built for Mordechai, but he was finally hanged on it himself! Although the Name of God is not mentioned in this biblical book, there can be no doubt that God was there, turning everything around for good!

God has the last word in our lives too. Don’t let’s give up till Daniel has been freed from the lions; until David has killed Goliath; till our Isaac is born. Don’t let’s give up till our problems are solved, our breakthrough has come, till the time of “when it seems as if…” is past, and the answer is visible! We have been believing and holding on for so long that it would be foolish to give up now. In Hebrews 6,12 we read that through faith and patience we receive the fulfilment of God’s promises. A farmer must also have patience. The seed is sown, then comes the time of waiting; the harvest comes later. But between sowing and reaping is a time “when it seems as if…”, and nothing is happening. The seed is in the earth and cannot be seen. How foolish to dig out the seed to see how much it has grown. Growth takes place in the earth. This time is very important; without the period of growth, there would be no harvest. It is also important for us to know that the harvest does not come immediately, but in stages. Some stages we cannot see, but they are still happening. Other stages of growth we see later on.

So, don’t give up, even though you might be going through a “when it seems as if …” time just now!

Keep trusting Jesus till your answer comes, till you see the victory, and that for which you have believed becomes a reality. General McArthur from the USA, used to say: “There is no substitute for victory!”

HOW TRUE this is, reminding us of the greatest victory of all Time, when Jesus Christ paid the price for sin in His body on the cross, breaking satan’s power over our lives. Now He offers eternal life to all those who will put their trust in Him, and His help in every “when it seems as if …” situation!

“Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; for he is faithful that promised,”

Hebrews 10, 23 KJV