When you set your alarm for the morning, you intend to sleep soundly through the night so that when you awaken to your alarm, you are rested and ready to tackle a new day. However, you’re awaken by an unusual culprit: whether it be the garbage truck making short work of the dumpster outside your apartment, a neighbor’s dog who is looking to scare a squirrel witless or a strange dream that causes you to wake up in a cold sweat, you find your sleep disrupted by an unexpected wake up call.

In the wake of any natural disaster, inevitably the issue of God’s involvement comes up in question. Because of my involvement in the Church, inevitably those question end up being asked of me. In today’s day and age, there are Christians who proclaim every storm is bringing down God’s judgment for all of our sin. I wish those sorts of people would shut their mouths. I do not think they know exactly why God has allowed this or that, and they should remember that we all shall be judged for every word that comes from our mouth.

I do not know if natural disasters are God’s instrument of judgment, but do we win one more soul to the Kingdom of God by pointing the finger? The loss of life, the pain and suffering that is caused by natural disaster is not eased in the hearts of men and women when we claim that God has judged them for their sin.

Consider what the prophet Ezekiel says, “But if a wicked man turns away from all the sins he has committed and keeps all my decrees and does what is just and right, he will surely live; he will not die. None of the offenses he has committed will be remembered against him. Because of the righteous things he has done, he will live. Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign LORD. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?” (Ezekiel 18:21-23) The Apostle Paul writes, “God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” (1 Tim. 2:4)

In Peter, we read that in the end times, people will scoff at Christians because “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” Later on Peter writes, “The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise as some count slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:4, 9)

I think God is giving us a wake up call, whether it is through natural disasters, through the sinking economy or through other personal difficulties. He is shaking us, saying, “It’s time to wake up.” “It’s time to take me seriously.” “It is time to repent.” Is anyone listening? The earth is shaking to wake you up from your spiritual slumber. The hurricanes are a reminder of His coming judgment. The economy is sinking to help us remember that God’s love for us never decreases. Your wallet is empty to remind you that God’s grace never runs out. The drought is there to remind you that His mercy never dries up. Your river is overflowing to remind you that His love is overflowing for you. He’s whispering in your ear today, “wake up” perhaps tomorrow He’ll raise His voice a little. “Wake up!”

“Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” (Heb. 3:15)

I remember back when I was in high school and I didn’t get accepted to go to the college I wanted to go to. But there was only one university I had wanted to go to. There was no back-up plan in my mind. I checked out this camp-one-year Bible school at a camp in the middle of nowhere. When I was there, I wandered out in the middle of night. You’ve got to understand, I’m a city-slicker, I’m from Chicago. So I’m wandering around this camp in the middle of the night in the middle of nowhere. Suddenly I approach a hill area and I realized that the large lake the camp was situated on was not far away. It was pitch black out, so I could not see the lake, I couldn’t smell the lake, I couldn’t taste it or touch it. I couldn’t hear it. But I knew it was there. It was because of the wind. The wind had suddenly picked up as I moved closer to this hill that lead to the lake.

In the same way, often we find in our lives that God is nowhere to be found. We cannot see Him, we cannot smell Him, we cannot taste Him or feel Him. Yet He is there. We know this because if we’re still for long enough we can feel the effects of Him working and moving in our lives. Jacob wrote, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” (Genesis 28:16)

“Surely the Lord is in this place and I did not know it.”

Yet, He is there… always present. He is at work. He is busy doing His God-sized projects. Despite how you’re feeling, or what you’re seeing, He is there. Paul reminds us that God is everywhere, “for in Him we live and move and exist…” (Acts 17:28) Jesus said in John 20:29, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” The apostle Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:7, “We walk by faith, not by sight.”

“Woe to the one who quarrels with his Maker–An earthenware vessel among the vessels of earth! Will the clay say to the potter, ‘What are you doing?’ Or the thing you are making say, ‘He has no hands’? Woe to him who says to a father, ‘What are you begetting?’ Or to a woman, ‘To what are you giving birth?’ Thus says the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker: ‘Ask Me about the things to come concerning My sons, And you shall commit to Me the work of My hands.’ ‘It is I who made the earth, and created man upon it. I stretched out the heavens with My hands And I ordained all their host. ‘I have aroused him in righteousness And I will make all his ways smooth; He will build My city and will let My exiles go free…” (Isaiah 45:9-13)

I love the analogies that the LORD speaks through Isaiah with, it makes things so clear. Will a piece of clay say to the potter, ‘what are you making?’ Think of it… ask any pregnant woman, ‘to what are you going to give birth to??’ Well, that’s how God takes our impatient questions… ‘Lord, what are you doing in my life??’ ‘Where is this going??’ ‘WHAT ARE YOU DOING??!!’ Don’t get me wrong, I believe God loves honest-sincere-heart-felt questions from those seeking Him. But what I’m concerned about is when such question demonstrates our lack of faith and trust in Him.

Hear God’s answer into your life today: God’s like, “Chill it, dude… I’m doing what I do best… I’m preparing you, using you, to do some great and mighty things for My Kingdom.” Such doubting questions show a lack of faith and trust in God—in our own hearts.

God says, “Ask Me about the things to come concerning My sons, And you shall commit to Me the work of My hands.’ ‘It is I who made the earth, and created man upon it. I stretched out the heavens with My hands And I ordained all their host.” I love that. Commit to God the work of His hands. God’s like, “Trust Me, I got everything under control, I’m the one who made the world, made you, and everything else.” You and I need to learn to trust God. We need to learn to trust God with our future. We’re the clay, God is molding us into something great… if we’d just let Him do His work. Remember what Paul wrote in Philippians, “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

Recently, I flew down to Dallas to go to a friend’s wedding. I was meeting up with a mutual friend at the airport we were going to rent a car and drive up to the wedding. By the time we found each other and got to the rental car place and finally got ourselves a car it was getting late and we still had a long drive ahead of us. Trying to leave the rental car garage, we had to get our paper-work checked over. The guy apologetically told us that there was some major mistake it was like we didn’t even have the rental car and we had to return inside to the front desk. This really ticked me off, I walked back in the building ready to grab some employee’s neck. The lady who ended up helping me was very apologetic and without me even asking signed me up for a free tank of gas for my troubles.

“Surely the Lord was in this place and I did not even know it.”

I walked back to the rental car ready to hit the road and a smile on my face. “Yes, we got a free tank of gas, isn’t that cool?” My friend corrected me, “Wow, look how God blessed us!” That’s so true isn’t it? It was a blessing from God. Surely, God was in this place and I didn’t even know it. No matter the situation or circumstances, God is always at work behind the scenes whether or not I will acknowledge that He is there and He is working. It’s so easy to forget that He’s there. But He is. He is always there, at work.

I don’t doubt that any one reading this wants to know that God is working in your life. If you want to break that addiction to seeing, you must confess to God that you often haven’t been looking for what He’s been doing or acknowledging His handiwork in your life. Pray, “God, help me to see what you’re doing by faith, help me to recognize even the small blessing and troubles in my life as a piece of your greater-God-sized plans in my life. Help me to acknowledge each and every blessing from you and to be thankful. Help me see what you’re doing in my life today. Amen.”

You know, looking back to that year I spent at that camp before going off to college was probably one of the best years of my life. Yes, this city-slicker ended up going to that one-year-Bible school thing at that camp in the middle of nowhere. I made relationships that I have to this day and God stretched me and did work in my life that I had no idea He would be doing. I spent the following four summers back at that camp even while I was at the college I wanted to be at. God knew what He was doing all along even though I was clueless.

“That they may see and recognize, And consider and gain insight as well, That the hand of the LORD has done this, And the Holy One of Israel has created it.” (Isaiah 41:20)

“Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.”

Promises had been given. The words of Prophecy had been spoken. The words of prophecy had been written down for us. Even to the first woman ever made, the promise of a Messiah was given, a hint that would not be understood until much later.

But His time had not come.

To a man who would father of God’s chosen people, the man whom God decided to bless received a promise that the blessing from the Promised One would flow from his blood line. From his own son, one day the Redeemer would come.

But His time had not come.

In a far away land, a man God Himself considered to be righteous suffered greatly. This man sounded a chorus that would be sung thousands and thousands of years later, “I know that my Redeemer lives.”

But His time had not come.

A king was appointed who was said to be after His own heart. The king wrote praises to Him. The promise was given that it would be from his bloodline that the Messiah would come.

But His time had not yet come.

His chosen people turned away. He sent prophets and hardships, trying to turn their hearts back to Him. He made more promises of the coming Messiah. They were scattered over many countries, and came under the rule of the Romans. They were mistreated and ordered around. They were not free.

But His time had not yet come.

It was getting dark as dusk settled over the whole land. An exceptionally great star grew bright in the east. A king from a distant land noticed it…and remembered an old prophecy.

His time had now come.

A girl to be married was given the promise of a child. With risk of rejection, she raised her courage to tell the man to whom she was betrothed to be married. “The angel went to her and said, ‘Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you….Do not be afraid, you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.’”

His time had now come.

A census throughout the land. All were required to return to their home town. The promise was for Him to be born in Bethlehem. The long journey for this girl was toilsome, despite the roads the Romans had built. After many days, all she wanted was a place to rest her head and await the promised arrival. A humble stable, a lowly manger full of hay, was all that could be found. “And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”

His time had now come.

In a field out in the distance, shepherds were tending to their watchful task. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord….Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” His coming rang out among the people. The shepherds spread the news “concerning what had been told them about this child”

His time had now come.

An old man sat at the Temple awaiting the coming of the Messiah. He had been promised that the long foretold prophecies would come through before he died. Can you imagine his joy and happiness when he realized that the day had finally come? “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.”

His time had finally now come.

A woman was at the temple day and night, fasting and praying. She too was waiting and anticipating the Messiah’s arrival. “Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.”

His time had finally now come.

“It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.”

“These are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in Him you will have life.”