Did God Make a Mistake?

On Sunday I talked about how we must first see God's glory before we see God's future.

I also know that many of us are going through times right now where we are asking that question: Did you mess up God? Did you lose control? What's going on?

Here's part of a post by Mark Batterson that does a great job speaking to these feelings and God's glory:


Have you ever felt like God made a mistake?

. . . . That is how the Israelites felt with the Egyptian army breathing down their necks and the Red Sea staring them in the face. And here's the thing: God led them there. From a military standpoint, they should not have been there. They have no escape route. They couldn't retreat or advance. It seems like God has made a mistake. And the Israelites let Moses know about it. But God had them right where he wanted them.

Sometimes God leads us to a place where we have nowhere to turn but to Him. It's often the last place we want to be. But it's the best place to be. Here is the great irony: all of us want to experience a miracle. We just don't want to be in a situation that necessitates it. But sometimes you need to be between an Egyptian Army and a Red Sea so God can reveal more of His glory!

And just when you think God has made a mistake, He parts the Red Sea.

Christ in you, the Hope of Glory - Pt 5

"Christ in you, the hope of glory."

Glory! That's one of your grandparent's religion words, huh. Especially when we say: 'Gaaaaalawary!'

It's one of those words that unfortunately we have covered with some dirt.

Excavation: In my sermon Sunday, I talked about the Israelites fumbling the Ark to the Philistines (And the Ark was the place of God's manifest presence in Israel - see 1 Samuel 4 for the story).
And how in that misery the daughter-in-law of Eli (the priest) named her child Ichabod.
'Kabod' in Hebrew meant glory. 'Ichabod' meant 'no glory.' Zip. Zero.

God's 'kabod' was what was in store for you when you experienced His very presence. (see Exodus 24:16 or 33:22; or we even sometimes say about someone: 'I saw him in all his glory.')
Ichabod's mom was saying that the manifest presence of God - and all that implies - is gone.

BUT HE is here! In you! You see it's not like as followers of Christ that you get this little 'A' battery of God inserted into your soul - just enough to keep you going. His 'GLORY' - and EVERYTHING that goes with it IS LIVING inside of you man!!
Kind of brings a new meaning to the kid song: 'This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine . . ." That's a stinkin' 50 mile lighthouse spotlight, not a pretty little Martha Stewart candle!

And just like the 'glory' of God is unfathomable for our finite selves - the ways in which He can come alive in you is unfathomable!

What are you gonna do with that? The GLORY of God. Christ in you. In you!