T’S STRANGE HOW LIFE CAN BE GOING SO WELL, AND THEN SUDDENLY
things begin crumbling under your feet. It happens to all of us. For me, it occurred when I was pregnant with our first child.
I found myself with “complications”—a word every new mother dreads. I wanted my pregnancy to go smoothly, but instead, I had complications. So every day I prayed that my little boy would be born healthy and strong.
My doctor advised me to stop working. I agreed and quit my job; my husband, Jean, and I adjusted our finances to meet our new limitations. But everything would be OK, we decided. God was with us! The money was stretching, and a lot of rest and sleep was doing me good.
Then we discovered that my husband’s employing organization was relocating to a different country, and he would soon be laid off. That was a shocker!
It’s during times like these we are tempted to think, These things aren’t supposed to happen to God’s people! We are not perfect, and we are not worthy, but God is good! And a good God isn’t supposed to let something like this happen!
It’s interesting, though, how God provides a silver lining to the clouds. Jean and I pulled together like never before. We encouraged each other. We prayed together. We pointed out Bible texts that helped alleviate the worry. And with every résumé that we sent out, we would say, “This could be it!” and “God has a job just waiting.” Our eyes would meet, and we believed it.
We can’t see the future, but in times like this we pray, and we believe. We hope, and we don’t give up. We know that God will provide. But there is still that insecurity. That fear.
One morning as I was having worship, I began to think about Moses asking to see God’s glory. God could not oblige him. A human being would be killed by the sight of it. So God put Moses in the cleft of the rock, turned His back to him, and then covered him with His hand.
In effect, Moses could not see. He was hidden in the cleft of the rock, and he was covered so the glory of God would not kill him right there. He could not see what God would do. He could not see God’s face. He could only feel the comfort of that covering hand.
I realized my family was in the cleft of the rock right then. We couldn’t see the future. We didn’t know how God would work everything out. But that didn’t mean that God was not there or not working on our behalf.
Although we can’t see Him, God is always standing outside the “cleft
in the rock,” with His hand protectively over us so we will be safe. God works things out in His perfect way, in His perfect timing. And when He is done He will uncover us, and we’ll crawl out from our hiding spot and see what God has prepared.
Did everything turn out all right for us? Yes! We now have a beautiful son who is growing and thriving. And Jean has a new job.
We’ve learned there is no safer place than the cleft of the Rock!
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Patty Froese Ntihemuka has authored two recently released books titled The Woman at the Well and Martha and Mary. She lives in Edmonton, Canada.