Since this post is the outgrowth of “The time between (part one)”, I suggest you read it if you have not done it.

For those of you who have read it let us continue where we left off.

As you may remember, I finished my previous post with these words: “On my next post we will have a look to the deluding force of the “something happens”, that is, during the time between a decision and its eventual results”. So let’s look at it, for if the “nothing happens” has the power to mislead many, the “something happens” doesn’t lag behind.

The “something happens”

Let us begin again with Allan and Alice. At a certain moment Allan makes a very wrong decision, a decision defying the very Scriptures. Now those who know about it, namely, Jennifer & Melissa, expect Allan’s Christian life to be badly affected. But strangely enough it is not the case. The very opposite takes place. During the church meetings, Allan is now singing with greater fervency, prays some of the godliest prayers ever heard in the congregation, and as if this was too little, he led five people to the Lord during the two months following his ungodly decision. He is also increasingly involved in the community, willing to help in multiple areas with an unusual zeal. His fervor is such that the elders of the church are thinking to entrust to him some new responsibilities. In fact, after four months, they counsel him to enlist in a Bible school. Needless to say, Allan is rejoicing and shines forth in the congregation. Of course all this puzzles Jennifer & Melissa. “Maybe the decision Allan made was not so bad after all,” Melissa tells Jennifer, “because God is obviously blessing him although he has not rectified is decision. Maybe we are too legalistic and too judgmental.”

Around the same period, Alice is facing the very temptation Allan succumbed to. She is torn in two and her conflicting desires bring her to a near depression. Yet, after much praying, the fear of God prevails and Alice overcomes the luring prospect and stands firm in God’s righteous counsel.

Now one would expect her to be blessed and prosper triumphantly in her community, but strangely enough nothing of it eventuates. On the contrary, Alice gets very sick and loses her job on the process. She still frequents the congregation but you can see she is quite affected. Her prayers are hardly heard and her singing reduced to a hush voice. Actually, those who peer at her see her crying at times and conclude, “in all evidence”, that Alice must have done something very wrong. “Yes! She was so joyful before,” exclaims Jennifer.

To make things worse, after three weeks, the only responsibility she had in the congregation is taken away from her. The elders of the community don’t tell why, but Melissa and Jennifer can only imagine the reason. “We knew something was wrong with her,” they told Allan with an insinuating tone. “Yes,” replied Allan, “the pastor must know what wrong she has done.”

The testimony of the Scriptures

This little story about Allan and Alice is more substantive than one may think. Actually, the friends of Job fell in the same trap, and they fell in it because what happened during “the time between” misguided them. They were convinced Job had done something unacceptable because all sorts of calamities befell him. Little they knew Job was on the way of an eventual promotion.

The same is true about Asaph. The length of “the time between”—and what happened during that time—had nearly knocked him over. Here are his words:

Truly God is good to Israel, to such as are pure in heart. But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled; my steps had nearly slipped. For I was envious of the boastful, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.” (Psalm 73:1–3)

That’s right! Against all expectations the wicked were prospering and their success was prompting Asaph to draw wrong conclusions. He wrote:

Behold, these are the ungodly, who are always at ease; they increase in riches. Surely I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocence.  For all day long I have been plagued, and chastened every morning.” (Psalm 73:12–14)

The Ecclesiastes could not have put it any clearer:

There is a vanity which occurs on earth, that there are just men to whom it happens according to the work of the wicked; again, there are wicked men to whom it happens according to the work of the righteous. I said that this also is vanity.” (Ecclesiastes 8:14)

And again:

Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. ¹² Though a sinner does evil a hundred times, and his days are prolonged, yet I surely know that it will be well with those who fear God, who fear before Him. ¹³ But it will not be well with the wicked; nor will he prolong his days, which are as a shadow, because he does not fear before God.” (Ecclesiastes 8:11–13)

 Asaph’s testimony

So what should one do to not be victimized by “the time between”? The words of Asaph point to the right direction:

“When I thought how to understand this, it was too painful for me—Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I understood their end.” (Psalm 73:16,17)

 The person who dwells in God’s sanctuary will surely understand the times—I am not referring here to a religious building but to this inner place where God reveals Himself to men. Yes! The person who dwells there will know what to do in baffling spells. He will not be confused or thwarted by perplexing observations and his heart will be steadfast, trusting in the Lord.

Conclusive words

Here is the final warning: “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” (Gal. 6:7–9)

The “if” found in verse nine introduces a possibility, which is: the “what happens” or “doesn’t happen” between the time of sowing and the time of reaping has the potential to weaken our determination and deter our conception of morality. This injurious potential resides mainly in the possible length of “the time between”, for at times it can last as long as a lifetime. So let us dwell in God’s sanctuary where the times can be understood and stand fast on the Scriptures. Therein resides our hope.