The Turnaround God

When I read Scripture, I am reminded again and again – nothing is impossible with God. The miracles from the Old and New Testament are not just echoes of the past, but what the Lord is capable of doing here in the now. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8). He is the Lord; He does not change (Malachi 3:6).  Therefore, God can assure us that He will come through when we need Him. We can trust that He will do what He says. Why would we expect anything less from what we have read and believed?

My encouragement to you today is that our God is a turnaround God. He is more than able to alter what has seemed impossible in your life. Despite the overwhelming odds against you, God is for you, and the ‘odds’ are actually in His favor – don’t forget… He is God! Regardless of what life throws at you to bring you down, He can provide a way out. Even if our eyes fail to see a solution, the Lord already has a plan established and will bring it to pass. What better way to recognize God’s goodness and faithfulness when at the last minute, the script gets flipped? A sudden turnaround rightfully reveals what God has done which man could never have accomplished. A turnaround is for God’s glory! He can do it, wait and see!

If you feel hopeless regarding your current circumstances, so did King Hezekiah. The Assyrian King, Sennacherib, had already conquered Samaria and the surrounding nations.  Now he has invaded Judah with his eyes set on Jerusalem. The Assyrian supreme commander speaks to the Israelites with arrogance, taunting their army and their trust in the Lord. To make matters worse, Sennacherib lies as saying the Lord had sent him to destroy Jerusalem in the first place. All of this to discourage the people from having hope. (1 Kings 18-19; 2 Chronicles 32:1-23).

Our God is a turnaround God.

King Hezekiah humbled himself and laid out his petitions to the Lord to save them. There was nothing he could do in his own strength. The Lord heard his cries and declared that the Assyrian army “will not enter this city or shoot an arrow here…” “I will defend this city and save it, for my sake and for the sake of David my servant.’” (1 Kings, 19:32, 34). That night, the turnaround happened – an angel of the Lord carried out the swift judgment brought upon Sennacherib and his army. What seemed to be an impending defeat lead to a sudden and unexpected victory. King Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem knew that the victory was not based on their strength or strategy, but accomplished by the zeal of the Lord. A turnaround for all of God’s majesty to be displayed and that He does the impossible!

There are so many more stories of the Lord turning around what seems impossible – Moses and the Israelites sandwiched between Pharaoh’s army and the Red Sea, to the Arameans forces surrounding Elisha in Dothan, to a champion named Goliath taunting all who face him. Again and again, God turns around the situation: The Lord provided safe passage for the Israelites to walk through the Red Sea while sweeping the Egyptians into the waters.[i] The Lord used Elisha to blind the Arameans, and in a sudden change – the eyes of the Arameans were opened and they were treated with mercy and kindness, resulting in peace.[ii] The Lord used David, a shepherd boy, to defeated Goliath, a war-trotted warrior with a sling and a stone.[iii]

So, if you are in a place where you are down in out – surrounded by the impossibility of your circumstances, remember that the God who turned around impossible odds back then can do that for you today. Give the Lord your requests and put your hope in Him. He has done it before, and He can do it again.

Have a blessed week!

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[i] Exodus 14:1-31

[ii] 2 Kings 6:8-23

[iii] 1 Samuel 17