One of the reasons that we have a hard time trusting God is that our view is limited. We can see the past and the present. We do not know the future, but when we think about the future, about the furthest we think about is our retirement. Most of the time we just are concerned about what is happening now.  What is happening now is not always pleasant, in fact sometimes it can be painful. For some, the now involves a diagnosis, a death, a debt, or a division in the family. Most of the time, the biggest question we have is why and the book of Job tells us that the why is something that is beyond our limited understanding.

Too often we forget that God is not limited by the now.  He knows the end from the beginning. A day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years is like a day for God. When God is at work in our lives, He not only has the immediate in mind but the long view as well. I asked my congregation today, what if the purpose for your struggle today is that one person saw how you continued to trust God in the midst of your storm. It impacted their life in such a way that they came to trust Christ and their grandchild became an evangelist who led thousands to Christ.  Would it be worth it?

You probably have never heard of Edward Kimble. He was a shoe salesman who one day shared the Gospel with his coworker, Dwight. Dwight was Dwight L. Moody who became an evangelist who led thousands to Christ. Moody’s preaching inspired Frederick Meyer to begin preaching crusades. At one of His meetings J. Wilber Chapman trusted Christ and became a preacher.

Moody’s preaching inspired a man named Frederick Meyer to undertake his own nationwide preaching ministry. Chapman enlisted the help of a baseball player named Billy Sunday to help him with his ministry. Billy Sunday learned how to preach from him and eventually took over his ministry, leading thousands to the Lord. Inspired by a crusade in Charlotte by Billy Sunday, some men became concerned for their city. They invited and evangelist named Mordecai Ham to preach in a series of evangelistic meetings in Charlotte.  At one of those services a teenager named Billy Graham heard the gospel and gave his life to Christ.

God always has the long view in mind. You will never know until you are in glory, the purposes of God. The only thing you can do is trust that He has promised that all things will work together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.