The Un-envisioned Place by Frances Frangipane

 

 If we look at the heroes of faith in the Scriptures, we will find individuals who, without fail, were people of vision. Yet, upon deeper study, we also discover that, even as people of vision, they found themselves at times in circumstances that were unlike anything they expected. Yet, it was in this "un-envisioned place" that God established character in His servant. It was here where the Lord released power that fulfilled destiny.

 

 Consider Paul's letter to the Thessalonians. He wrote of his "great desire" to travel to the church in Thessalonica more than once. Yet, he said, "Satan hindered us" (1Thess. 2:17-18).

 

 Paul must have believed that God’s will for him was to travel, plant churches and evangelize. Yet, if we look at Paul’s life, it seems Paul found himself often stuck in jail instead of traveling on apostolic journeys. Although he felt that Satan had thwarted him, God was watching. There, in the dark, mildewed cells, Paul’s focus upon God was refined and deepened: singing hymns at midnight, rejoicing always, praying without ceasing and remaining thankful (see 1 Thess. 5). Jail was not what Paul envisioned for himself, yet in the crucible of this un-envisioned place, by keeping his heart like Christ’s, he stayed inspired and while imprisoned he turned to writing. It was there, in jail, that Paul penned some of his most profound epistles. 

 

 What seemed like a setback, in God’s hands became a setup for greater victory. Thus, instead of only reaching his generation by personal contact, his writing would lay a foundation that touched Christians for nearly 2000 years!

 

 Or consider the apostle John. At the end of his life he was exiled to a lonely life on the Isle of Patmos. John, the “apostle of love,” could have become downcast. Certainly, isolation was not what God wanted for this man, the last living apostle who had been with Jesus Himself? Yet if he had not been exiled, we would not have been given the majesty of the Revelation of John. 

 

 Or what of Joseph -- betrayed and sold into slavery was not what this great man envisioned, but it's what the Holy Spirit used to transformed a dreamer into a mighty leader in Egypt. Or did David expect after being anointed by the prophet Samuel, that he would find himself in a wilderness, a fugitive for seven years? No, but it was here, in the injustice of the wilderness years, that God forged in David and his followers the greatest sense of unity the Old Testament would attain. 

 

 So also with you. Your current circumstances may not be what you envisioned for yourself, but they are no obstacle for God. Paul learned that God was fully able to reveal Himself, not only in the expected places, but in that which was unexpected as well. 

 

 Paul wrote, "But thanks be to God, who always leads us in His triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place" (2 Cor. 2:14). Paul wrote this verse at a time when he might have despaired of life itself. But God was faithful. No matter what the setback seems to be, God always leads us in His triumph in Christ. We can find the sweet aroma of Christ “in every place.” 

 

If you are in a struggle in your circumstances, let me assure you: God is still with you. As you exercise your faith, as you rest in Him, allow your heart to become Christlike in this crisis. God will turn your setback into a setup that releases destiny, right there in the un-envisioned place.