“What’s Going On?” (2 Corinthians 4:16-18)

“Yeah…I tried to get through to the billing department and all I got was a recorded message.”

“What’s going on? Idiots are running this company!”

It was a typical exchange on a social media site. Disgruntled customers were grousing over their futile attempts to get help from the customer service department of the company. I would usually gloss over such comments but in this instance, I was paying close attention.  I knew the owners and many employees of the company to which the comments were directed. I knew the complete story, the behind the scenes view. To the outside world, their recent trials appeared to be an abject failure of management. I knew the sordid details because the CEO was my friend, and the outside world was not privy to this insider knowledge. The former CFO had swindled the company out of hundreds of thousands of dollars and was attempting to steal their proprietary software and set up his own company.  The CEO fired that person and was in damage control mode. Needless to say, it was a painful transition which took months to recover. This social media exchange occurred during this transition before a new CFO and accountant team could be hired.

It was a sobering lesson and a reminder of how God works in my life. Too often, I am quick to doubt God’s sovereignty and providence in my life. A flat tire that makes me late for a meeting; a malfunctioning traffic light that results in a traffic jam; a lapse with my internet service provider that paralyzes my office’s activities-how can any of these be interpreted for good? How can God be in control of these situations that only result in nuisances and inconveniences in my life? How indeed? During many of these perceived inconveniences, God revealed the reasons why they occurred. Sometimes the answer would come days or even years later. When my internet service provider failed me, it prompted me to seek a more reliable service. Within a few months, after switching, I learned the existing service provider was using a flawed technology, leading to outages in several other offices. Had I waited until this announcement, I would have undoubtedly been stranded for days without an internet connection. God was protecting me even when I thought He was making my life more difficult.

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (ESV)

What’s going on?

The Bible gives us glimpses of how God operates behind the scenes, working in a spiritual realm that most of the time, we are not privy to see, know, or even understand. Faith is trusting in God even when we cannot comprehend everything by our limited senses. Blind faith is based upon assumptions and hearsay. True faith is based upon the absolute Truth and this can only be found in God and His Word, the Bible. Instead of asking God, “What’s going on?”, I need to trust Him and ask Him, “What would You have me do?” I can do this with the utmost confidence because God is faithful and His promises are always kept.

Love and trust the Lord; seek His will in your life.