Hind Sight

19And he said, ‘I will make all my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim before you the name, “The Lord”; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. 20But’, he said, ‘you cannot see my face; for no one shall see me and live.’ 21And the Lord continued, ‘See, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock; 22and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by; 23then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back; but my face shall not be seen.’

~ Exodus 33:19-23

The bright morning sunshine pours into the east window of our church fellowship area when I first arrive at work. As I try to look out into the trees of the ravine between the church and the cemetery, I find it very difficult to discern what is actually out there due to the glare of the sun. Later in the day, however, as the sun rises more into the mid-day sky, the glare is gone and I am able to make out what is actually there in the ravine as I wait for my coffee cup to fill at the single-serve machine.

God’s presence among us can be very much like the brilliance of the morning sunshine that keeps us from seeing what is actually near us all along. God is always with us, but when we are going through difficult times, we do not always see Him walking beside us through the whole ordeal. It is only after we have reached the other side of the crisis that we can look back and actually see where God was at work in and around us through it all.

Are you or someone you know going through a difficult struggle? Do you see God working in subtle ways as you or they are walking through their difficult times? Keep looking! God IS always there through it all – sometimes, hind sight is better than present sight or foresight.

Prayer

Dearest Heavenly Father,

Thank you for never letting us walk alone through the many difficulties of this life we live on earth. Help us to always feel Your presence with us and around us - reminding us that we are never alone in this world and its many problems. You are our loving Father that always keeps His watchful eye on His children. Amen.

~ Wendy Miller