Have you ever said to yourself, “If I only knew then what I know now, I’d do things differently.”?  I know I have.   It’s amazing how clear our vision is when we can look back on the situation and see all the facts clearly.

Consider two examples. If, at the beginning of a board game you knew the moves your opponent would make, how much easier would it be to plan your own moves in order to ensure the best outcome for your side?  If you were a football coach, and you had a videorecording of the exact plays the other team was going to run, how much easier would it be to defeat them?

Now consider this: God is omniscient. That means He knows everything. History is an open book to him.  He knew Joseph’s brothers would sell Joseph into slavery to Egypt. He knew David would commit adultery with Bathsheba. He knew the choices you would make in your life before you made them, and allowed for them in His plan.  Does this excuse our responsibility for our sin? Absolutely it does not.  What it does do, is allow us to trust in God, because He knows what is best.

Is there a famine in the land? Well God used the sinful choices of Joseph’s brothers to save their lives from starvation. Would Bathsheba choose to bathe on the roof of her house and commit adultery with the king? God used this situation as well. Bathsheba is a direct ancestor of Jesus Christ.  Speaking of which, I have always liked the fact that the gospel of Matthew lists four women in Christ’s genealogy: Rahab the non-Jewish prostitute, Tamar, the woman who acted like a prostitute and slept with her father-in-law, Ruth the non-Jewish woman, and Bathsheba, the adultress. Three of the four lived openly sinful lives for a time, and two were not Israelites.

God is never surprised, so the next time you start to worry when things don’t seem to be going your way, remember: if you know Christ as Savior, God knows what he’s doing.  God does not regret His choices, He knows that they are the exact right choices to make.  Is your house getting repossessed? God has someplace else for you to live. You lost your job? Perhaps God has a better one. NO matter what your problem may be.