A friend brought a verse to my attention the other day and so I’ve been running with this thought for the last few days: fear and faithlessness does not thwart God’s plans for his people.
Here’s the verse: Exodus 6:9 (prior to this parathetical comment Moses has been receiving and reporting God’s promise to deliver the Israelites from their enslavement. He has just reminded them that he will keep his promise he swore to Abraham to give them the land of Canaan):
Moses reported this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and harsh labor.
What do you expect next? Punishment for unbelief? Irritation? Chastisement? Notice that the story of God’s hand in rescuing the Israelites continues as he planned, without missing a beat. Here’s verse 10:
Then [see, the storyline continues as planned] the Lord said to Moses, “Go, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the Israelites go out of his country.”
It is interesting how God’s sovereign plan is not hampered by our unbelief (which may well be encouraged by our circumstances). Now, this is not to say that we may not be disciplined because of our unbelief. Peter starts to sink, Samson goes blind, Sarah is rebuked, Zechariah can’t speak for as much as 9 months.
But we often perceive of God as a harsh father, a torturer just laying in wait to catch us doing something wrong. This he is not. He may well allow us to pursue our idols and demands and receive the consequences of our demands. And yet, he will not allow our unfaithfulness to derail his plans. Why? Ezekiel 36:22f tells us why. “It is not for your sake, house of Israel, that I am going to do these things, but for the sake of my holy name…then the nations will know that I am the Lord…” And he goes on to describe the giving of a new heart to his people, a heart of flesh to replace the heart of stone.
Why does he not miss a beat with our paralysis? Because of his own name, his holiness. So, don’t despair that you are caught up in your own circumstances and paralyzed by your wounds. Instead, remember that God is faithful to himself (and his promises to love you) and your indecision does not change this. Remember that he has given you his word on his heart. Meditate on that and not on your circumstances. When you are overwhelmed with your difficult situation, remember anew that he is sovereign over all and will bring you into his house of healing in his time.
Musings on Faith and Psychology 