God's annoying personality?

Exodus 14:24
24 Now it came to pass, in the morning watch, that the LORD looked down upon the army of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and cloud, and He troubled the army of the Egyptians.

Did you ever wonder what God was doing while you were praying? Not long ago I heard a sermon about keeping the morning watch. What the pastor meant was that it is our duty as Christians to get up in the morning and start the day by fellowshipping with God. He reminded us that we should be up, reading the Bible, seeking God’s divine guidance in our lives, and asking Him for our needs and wants. This communication isn’t supposed to be a one way street of our blabbering at the Creator and His listening, but we too are supposed to be quiet and listen for God’s still small voice. (Psalm 46:10, 1 Kings 19:12)

Sometimes, however, it’s hard to do that. Sometimes we don’t hear what He is saying; we can’t see what He is doing. It’s hard to remain faithful when the response from God is silence. It’s hard to get out of bed and continue reading and studying His word and praying for His guidance when He doesn’t seem to even be in the same room with us.

Then I came across this passage in Exodus and it brought me great peace. When God doesn’t answer me, it doesn’t mean that He’s not answering me. (There’s some twisted wording for you.) What is God doing when I pray? Is He listening to my needs, my concerns, my troubles, and my desires? Or is God just sitting there thinking, “Yea, yeah, yeah...enough already, I’ve got a universe to run...”? Obviously He’s listening. Not only is He listening but He’s acting on our requests. Sure, we can’t see Him in action all of the time, but He’s still working.

In this passage, the Israelites were in battle. They had just been released from bondage and a horrible existence in Egypt under Pharaoh's rule. They had come across the desert and crossed the Red Sea on DRY GROUND. They had seen God in action. They had cried out and seen the hand of God work mightily in their lives, just as we’ve seen Him work in our lives. They witnessed firsthand answers to their prayers, as we have been blessed with firsthand answers to our prayers.

But God did something else for them. While they were camped and the guards were in their morning watch (guard duty), God left their presence and went to their enemies. He didn’t stop listening to them and He certainly didn’t stop answering their prayers and cries for help, but He also didn’t show them firsthand what He was doing at that moment. God went behind them and “troubled” the Egyptians. He took the wheels off their chariots. I don’t know about you, but that’s kind of funny. It shows us some of God’s personality. He could have instantly wiped them out, but instead He chose to annoy them on His people’s behalf. After He prepared the Egyptian army for certain disaster, He returned to His people and gave them the power, through Him, to conquer.

God is doing this same thing for us today. Sometimes we can get discouraged in our morning watch that He’s gone from us or isn’t listening, but that’s not entirely true. Sometimes while we’re in the middle of our morning watch, God is off annoying our enemies. I like that idea. He’s gone ahead of us and prepared the way, or He’s gone behind us to stop the pursuit. Either way, He hasn’t stopped listening, He’s just being God!

Jesus made this point clear to His disciples and it should be just as clear to us today. (John 14:1-3 1 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And where I go you know, and the way you know.”) Jesus wasn’t physically with His disciples any more, but that didn’t mean that He wasn’t doing work on their behalf. The same is true for us today. Just because God isn’t blatantly manifesting Himself in our lives during a particular time, that doesn’t mean that He isn’t out preparing the way for us! Jesus left His disciples with one simple reminder: He is the Way. Continue in the faith that He is working and preparing a way for you and that He’ll return as The Way for you.

Rest and find peace in knowing that God is out annoying your enemies. He’s preparing them for certain destruction and He’s going to allow you to conquer them through Him. Whether it’s a drug addiction, family separation, disease, or eating disorder, God is frustrating it for you so that you may have the victory!