The other day, we were having a conversation and in it, we learned a serious lesson. A lot of so-called negative things happen and cause us to complain. Did you complain about the polar vortex which wiped out Valentine’s day celebrations? Or did you rejoice that God canceled an essentially pagan holiday with His snow? Those who know how to search for the hand of God know the right answer.
Take the coronavirus scenario for instance. To most of us, it is all negative and we cannot wait for God to take it away. However, there are a lot of benefits of coronavirus. For instance, more and more Christians are praying; as we observed in an earlier post. But only those who know how to search for God’s hand will appreciate that.
That benefit alone may be the hand of God at work. Perhaps He had been missing you and me and that caused Him to allow the coronavirus. In turn, that sent us to our knees to seek His face in prayer. But there many others as far as those who know how to search for the hand of God are concerned.
Take school bullying as another example. Imagine that before COVID-19, your child was being bullied in school. You prayed for it to stop but felt helpless to do anything more. But God heard your prayer and brought the COVID lockdown with mandatory social distancing. Unless you know how to search for the hand of God, that would seem just an additional negative.
You complain that instead of taking care of the bullying situation, He is adding lockdown to your problem. But when you think further, you realize that bullying is impossible with social distancing. Every child is at least 6 feet away from other children.
Search For The Hand of God Even In Climate Change
And then you realize that God answered your prayer by allowing coronavirus. But you had to learn to search for the hand of God to appreciate that. The bible says that when God took His people into captivity, the land had the rest it needed.
Is it possible that God knew more about climate change than all the scientists combined? Of course; after all, He created the heavens and the earth. And because the people refused to give the needed rest to the land, God took them into captivity.
If climate change interests you, look up the passage in the twenty-sixth chapter of the book of Leviticus. Then you will not have to search for the hand of God before you understand what is happening right now. True, we developed vaccines, but apparently, the rest the land has had is still not enough. So, what did God do? He allowed variants that are not only more transmissible but also more deadly.
The land must enjoy its rest is what God is saying, regardless of how smart or wealthy we are. But only those who know how to search for the hand of God in climate change. I understand that in this past year, all the climate change indicators are showing signs of improvement. How about that? The chief climatologist – God Himself – is speaking and we need to relax and let Him be God.
Additionally, if we would obey all the public health protocols, we could hasten the day the pandemic will end. Not because of the protocols themselves but by letting the land rest from our toing and froing. If we refuse to let the earth rest, we inadvertently delay the end of our captivity.
Recognizing The Hand Of God Helps Your Prayer Life
I hope you know that the lockdown represents global and universal captivity. Let us search for the hand of God now and give the earth its rest. Taking away the pandemic is child’s play with God once He sees that the land has sufficient rest. The choice is ours. We can continue to complain or we can cooperate to give the earth rest. and stop praying useless prayers. You will not for instance pray that Satan should die.
You already know that God created Satan and sent him to earth in the meantime. If you are able to search for the hand of God, you also know only God can deal with satan. And only according to God’s timetable not according to your prayers. Read the book of Revelation for greater insight into God’s timetable for the end of Satan and stop wasting your prayers.
Similarly, instead of praying for the end of the pandemic, pray for God to glorify Himself in your life. That is what a lady I know did. She knows how to search for the hand of God and is using this period to improve herself. This lady is taking classes to help increase her salary. Meanwhile, those who fail to search for the hand of God are praying for the pandemic to end.
So, stop wasting your time on useless prayers. It will only end when God says it will end. And that may be when God has achieved His purpose in your life. So instead of moaning about the lockdown, ask God how He wants you to use this period. Until Job learned his lesson in his own lockdown, the problem did not cease.
Other things You Can Do
Search for the hand of God in every situation and move with it, not against it. Moving against God is useless and wasteful anywayOthers are using this time to start businesses they have always dreamt about but for which they had no time. Could that be you? yes, once you learn how to search for the hand of God in your situation. It does not matter what that situation is.
That is why some people only surrender to Jesus when they find themselves in prison. It requires that lockup to get them to look up. In the quiet of the jail, they search for the hand of God. and God promises that if we search for Him, we shall find Him, even in jail. For right now, we can stop listening to the media who glorify suicides during the pandemic lockdown. Instead, listen to God by reading your bible.
Talking of reading your bible, what excuse can you give for not reading it several hours a day? Before this lockdown, you claimed you did not have time. But now, God has given you a lot of time, it is almost funny. For those who know how to search for the hand of God, time is a bonus in our situation.
Use that time to look for God in your particular situation. That is what I have done and I see that I am a much better cook now than ever before. How about you? What can you be better at during this period as you search for the hand of God?
Maranatha!
