Setbacks

“And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.” — Genesis 28:15

I believe that God is good, and He always delivers in His perfect timing. Regardless of how crazy our life appears to be at the moment, God knows our end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10). No occurrence in life takes God by surprise. That said, just when we envision the exact way that God will fulfil His promises in our lives, a roadblock stops us in our tracks.

By spending time in the Word and in fellowship with God, He often reveals His plans that He has for me. He points out the way that I should go. It is usually a joyful and exciting time as I know that God has a distinct purpose for me. Thus, I often think that since God revealed His plans and is leading the way, the road will be easy. So, it is troubling when setbacks have me doubting: "Did God truly promise this?" or "Was it my imagination?"

The Old Testament is filled with historical figures who received God's promises only to then face roadblocks and what could be viewed as setbacks:

• Abram was promised that his descendants would be numbered as the stars in the sky, but he was childless in his nineties (Genesis 15).

• Jacob was promised that the world would be blessed through His descendants, yet he feared that he was about to be killed by his brother Esau (Genesis 33).

• Joseph was given prophetic dreams that he would have authority and that his family would bow down to him (Genesis 37), then He was sold into slavery.

• When Joseph was blessed and began to be successful, he was falsely accused and arrested (Genesis 39).

• The Israelites wandered in the desert, suffering the dust, heat, and lack of comfort that comes with having a home. They wandered in circles for forty years! Talk about a setback.

Yet, in each and every circumstance, God fulfilled His word.

I have spent more years in prison than I have lived outside of prison. After serving twenty-six years in prison without getting in any trouble and receiving associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate college degrees, the Parole Board just denied my parole for three more years. To me it seems like a big setback, however, I know that God has promised my deliverance. He has given me a mission to serve in different ministries like Healing Homes, a homeless ministry similar to Habitat for Humanity, and a calling to prison ministry. He has given me a purpose and a hope. Therefore, I am striving to focus on God's promise and not on my setbacks.

God has a plan for each of us. You may know positively the purpose God has promised for you, but obstacles seem to make this vision impossible causing you to question God’s promise. Setbacks come to us all. That is why it is vital to remember the biblical examples of God working miracles to fulfill His word. Even better, recall every time God worked in your life against all odds to work out all things together for your good (Romans 8:28). His purpose will be fulfilled and what we may view as a setback is actually part of His perfect plan.

Life can be a struggle at times, but God is the source of our strength. I believe that Peter says it best when Jesus asked the disciples if they would leave Him like all the others deserting Jesus. "Then said Jesus unto the twelve, will you also go away? Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life (John 6:67-68).” Setbacks along the way don't change our destination nor the fact that Jesus is the only way to get there. We may not see the way ahead past the obstacles of life, what matters most is to trust Him to take us home.