The Time is Coming
by Goran Andersson
In the Bible, expressions such as ‘the time is coming’ and ‘the days are coming’ are often used. God our Father knows everything that will happen, even though he often doesn’t want it to happen, and it’s something against His will. But it never takes him by surprise. He knows what man is capable of.
It’s interesting to see when God uses these expressions. As in Jeremiah 31:31 and 31:38, it’s quite often in situations where many are wondering if there will even be any more days to come, and if there’s any hope whatsoever of a future. When hope and expectations are at an all time low, God loves to speak about the very things that His people have given up on! He speaks about them as if they were right on the horizon. His people don’t even see any horizon!
God is the God of hope and encouragement. When we bring upon ourselves disasters that we don’t like, through our own bad choices and wrongdoing, God encourages us that He still has a future for us. When the society in which we live is deteriorating and its future looks bleak, God’s already speaking about times and days that will come, which are the opposite of what we’re seeing. God’s not taken by surprise at what man does. He waits for the right moment to bring about His plan, and His salvation.
Today may be a bleak day for some of you, a day of disappointment and even despair. You see nothing on the horizon that gives you hope. But be of good courage, God tells you that different days are coming, as He told Israel. It was in Egypt and in the desert that He spoke about a land flowing with milk and honey. It was in Gideon´s utter hopelessness that God spoke about salvation for the whole nation - through him. And it was in the synagogue in the town of Nazareth, a place where nobody expected anything good to come from, that Jesus made His declaration of salvation and healing!
Even if you see discouraging things around you, listen to the voice and promise of God: ‘The time is coming’ for you!
Prayer: Help me, Lord, to always trust You, even when circumstances are dark and difficult. Then I can walk by faith knowing that you are in charge of my life and that in You there is always a future and a hope. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Goran Andersson , together with his wife Roswitha, worked as missionaries in Japan from 1967 – 1985. They then pastored a church before moving to Kåfalla Herrgård, Sweden where Goran became Director. They have worked with Ellel Ministries since 2004 and are now part of the team of Ellel Ministries in Sweden.
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