Then All of the Sudden by Dawn White

And Then All of the Sudden...

Scripture:  "But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day."  2 Peter 3:8

We have a crabapple tree outside of our bedroom window.  Now, I've never found a use for the crabapples (I haven't tried real hard either), but this tree has the most beautiful blooms in the spring of each year.  They are a beautiful pink color and the tree is just covered with them.  Each spring, I look forward to the beauty of this tree.  However, these blooms never stay around long enough for me.  If it is a good year, we'll see them for a week.  However, if we experience very strong winds at all, the blooms are gone in no time.  I can enjoy the blooms one day, and then all of the sudden, within an afternoon, they will be gone. Nonetheless, I love that tree.

Isn't that the way it is with God.  Just as the wind sweeps through and takes all the blooms from the tree, the Spirit of God can move and change your circumstances.  And, all of the sudden, things will be completely different.  I've been studying some accounts of this in the Word.  I'd like to call out a few who experienced a move of God that radically changed their circumstances.

In Genesis 37-41, we can read the story of Joseph.  Please allow me to paraphrase the events of his life for the sake of space.  The Lord had given Joseph a couple of dreams in which his brothers would bow down to him.  Joseph shared these dreams with his brothers and father.  His brothers became jealous and angry, so they began a plot to ensure that this never happened.  Through their various plots, Joseph was thrown in a pit and left to die, rescued and sold into slavery, accused of a crime he didn't commit and thrown into prison.  Scholars vary on their interpretation of how long Joseph was in prison, but it appears to be somewhere between 15-20 years.  All of these disheartening circumstances seem to initially stem from Joseph having a couple of dreams that he shared with his family.  Seems like a harsh road for sharing a couple of dreams.  Regardless, as Joseph sat in prison one day, the Pharaoh had a dream and was unable to find anyone who could interpret it.  His cupbearer remembered that Joseph could interpret dreams.  So Joseph was summoned and interpreted the dream.  Pharaoh was so pleased that he put Joseph second in command in Egypt.  In the matter of a day, Joseph went from prisoner to second in command in Egypt.  All of the sudden, in one day, God moved and his life was radically different.

We can also look at Mephibosheth in 2 Samuel 9.  David had made a promise to Jonathan that when he became King, he would spare the killing of Jonathan's lineage. The custom of the day was that the new king would take the lives of any remaining family members of the old king.  Because Jonathan's dad, King Saul was reigning, Jonathan knew that when David became king, according to custom, all of Jonathan's family would die.  Since Jonathan and David were the best of friends, Jonathan asked David to promise to let his family live when he became king. David agreed.  However, Jonathan and Saul were both killed in battle.  Fear ran through the territory and Jonathan's servants picked up his young son, Mephibosheth, to try to escape.  In the chaos, the boy was dropped and both ankles broke and injured to the point that he was crippled and not able to walk from that day forward.  So, here is Mephibosheth a crippled orphan living in an orphanage.  As David assumed the throne and began his kingship, he one day (years later) remembered that he had made the promise to Jonathan.  He sent word asking if there was anyone remaining in Jonathan's lineage.  Mephibosheth was summoned to the palace.  Mephibosheth was scared to go, believing that David's intent was to kill him.  But rather, David moved Mephibosheth to the palace where he ate that the king's table every day.  All of the sudden, Mephibosheth was moved from an orphanage to the palace.  God moved, and the changes were radical.

Perhaps you've been standing for quite some time, believing that God is going to move and your circumstances are going to change.  My encouragement to you is to keep standing.  According to the scripture in 2 Peter 3:8, in God's timetable, 1 day is like a thousand years.  Although it may seem to be taking FOREVER on our end, but all of the sudden God will move and the landscape of your life will be totally different.  It was for Joseph, it was for Mephibosheth and countless others.  It will be the same for you too.

In Galatians 6:9 it says, "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." [emphasis mine]  As a friend of mine says, "I have the paperwork that it will be done."  This promise is your paperwork...it will be done.  Keep believing - your 'all of the sudden' is on its way!

Be Blessed!