NOTHING IS WASTED-Conversation Four: When the Story Doesn’t Make Sense

Welcome to Pomoja Podcast, a ministry of Life

of Christ International Ministries, where we

build stronger lives, deeper faith, and Christ

-centered homes through biblical teaching, practical

wisdom, and life -changing conversations. I'm

your host, Barry Mwamba. Today, we arrive at

what I believe is the heart of this entire series.

We've seen God work through betrayal. We've seen

him work through waiting. We've seen him work

through silence. But today, I want to speak to

everyone. whose life simply doesn't make sense.

Because every believer eventually reaches a chapter

where they stop asking, what is God doing? And

begin asking, Lord, where are you? Maybe that's

where you are today. Nothing seems to fit together.

The promises don't match your circumstances.

The waiting has become exhausting. The suffering

seems unnecessary. And you're wondering, how

could any of this possibly become part of God's

purpose? Let's discover what the scriptures reveal.

Let's begin with Paul. Can you imagine becoming

the greatest missionary in history, only to spend

years in prison? Think about that. If we had

been writing Paul's story, we probably would

have removed the prisons, the beatings, the shipwrecks,

the chains, the false accusations. Because none

of those chapters seem useful, yet God never

wasted them. Paul's imprisonment opened doors

that freedom never could. He stood before governors,

kings, Roman officials. The gospel entered places

Paul could never have reached as a free man.

Even more remarkable, while sitting in prison,

Paul wrote letters. Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians,

Philemon. Letters that continue strengthening

the church nearly 2 ,000 years later. Paul thought

he was chained. The gospel wasn't. What looked

like limitation became multiplication. That is

providence. One thing I've learned from reading

scripture, is this. God rarely tells people the

ending while they're living the middle. Joseph

didn't know. Moses didn't know. David didn't

know. Esther didn't know. Ruth didn't know. Paul

didn't know. Neither did Abraham. Neither did

Mary. Neither did the disciples. But God always

knew. That changes the way I read the Bible,

and it changes the way I look at my own life.

Because perhaps the chapter that makes the least

sense today will one day become the chapter that

makes everything else make sense. Think about

Mary and Martha. They sent a message to Jesus.

Lord, the one you love is sick. Have you ever

noticed what the Bible says next? Jesus loved

them. Then he stayed where he was. That almost

sounds contradictory. If he loved them, why didn't

he leave immediately? Because providence works

according to heaven's timetable. By the time

Jesus arrived, Lazarus had already been dead

four days. To Mary, the story was over. To Martha,

hope had expired. To everyone standing around,

the miracle had come too late. But to Jesus,

the story wasn't finished. Sometimes, God allows

a situation to move beyond what we can fix so

that only He receives the glory. What looked

like delay became revelation. What looked like

disappointment became resurrection. That is providence.

Now think about Abraham. After waiting years

for Isaac, God asks him, to place that very promise

on the altar. Can you imagine walking toward

Mount Moriah? Every step must have been filled

with questions. Isaac finally asked, My father,

where is the lamb? What a question. Abraham didn't

know how God would do it, but he answered with

confidence, the Lord will provide. Notice something.

Faith isn't knowing every detail. Faith is trusting

the character of God when you don't know the

details. At the very moment, everything appeared

lost. God provided a ram. But Abraham's story

was pointing beyond itself. Centuries later,

on another hill, God would not provide a ram.

He would provide his own son. Providence had

already been writing Calvary long before anyone

understood it. Now, lift your eyes to Calvary.

If there has ever been a moment that appeared

to be complete defeat, it was the cross. The

disciples scattered. Hope disappeared. Darkness

covered the earth. The Son of God was nailed

to a cross. Imagine standing there on Friday

afternoon. Would you have called that victory?

No, you would have called it tragedy. You would

have called it failure. You would have called

it the end. But heaven called it redemption.

Satan thought he had won. Religious leaders believed

they had silenced Jesus. Rome thought another

execution had taken place. But Sunday morning

changed everything. The greatest evil ever committed

by humanity became the greatest demonstration

of God's love. The cross teaches us something

we should never forget. Just because something

looks like defeat doesn't mean God has lost control.

Sometimes, what appears to be the end is simply

the place where resurrection begins. Can I ask

you something? What chapter are you living today?

Are you in Joseph's pit, wondering why the people

closest to you have hurt you? Are you in Moses'

wilderness, wondering if your best years are

behind you? Are you standing where David once

stood, being faithful in small things, while

God is preparing you for something greater? Do

you carry Nehemiah's burden, unable to explain

why one particular need keeps breaking your heart?

Are you living in Esther's palace, placed somewhere

you still don't fully understand? Or perhaps

you're walking through Ruth's field, faithfully

doing ordinary things? Never realizing heaven

is preparing extraordinary blessings. Maybe you

feel like Rahab Believing your past has disqualified

you while God is preparing to rewrite your future.

Maybe your heart feels like Hannah's Praying

the same prayer year after year Wondering whether

heaven still remembers your name. Perhaps you're

sitting in Paul's prison Faithfully serving God

yet surrounded by chains. You never expected

Maybe you're standing outside Lazarus' tomb,

convinced that what you've lost is beyond hope.

Or perhaps you're climbing Abraham's mountain,

holding tightly to a promise, while God asks

you to trust Him one more step. Or maybe you're

standing at your own calvary, looking at a chapter

that feels like complete defeat, wondering how

God could possibly bring anything beautiful from

this. Can I encourage you? Don't write the final

chapter while God is still writing the story.

Because providence is rarely understood while

you're living it. It is almost always understood

looking backward. Joseph understood after Egypt.

Moses after Sinai. David after the throne. Nehemiah

after the walls were rebuilt. Esther after her

people were delivered. Ruth. after Boaz, Rahab

after redemption, Hannah after Samuel, Paul after

Rome, the disciples after the resurrection. Perhaps

one day you will too. Maybe today you don't need

another explanation. Maybe what your heart needs

most is confidence. Confidence that the author

has never lost the plot. The God who guided Joseph

is guiding you. The God who prepared Moses is

preparing you. The God who strengthened David

in obscurity is strengthening you in yours. The

God who placed Nehemiah's burden still places

holy burdens in the hearts of his people. The

God who positioned Esther is positioning you.

The God who met Ruth in a field still orders

the steps of his children. The God who redeemed

Rahab still rewrites impossible stories. The

God who remembered Hannah still hears every prayer,

even the ones prayed through tears. The God who

called Lazarus out of the tomb still brings life

where everyone else sees only endings. The God

who provided for Abraham still provides exactly

when his children need him most. The God who

strengthened Paul in prison still walks beside

his people through suffering. And the God who

turned a cross into an empty tomb is still writing

stories that end in his glory. So don't lose

heart. Keep praying. Keep obeying. Keep trusting.

Keep walking. Because one day you'll look back

and you'll realize that the pit led to the palace.

The wilderness led to the promised land. The

battlefield led to the throne. The burden led

to restoration. The field led to redemption.

The prison opened doors no one else could open.

The mountain revealed Jehovah Jireh. The tomb

revealed resurrection. The cross revealed salvation.

And every chapter, even the painful ones, was

held by the faithful hand of a sovereign God.

Then, you won't simply understand your story.

You'll worship the author. because you'll finally

see what heaven saw from the very beginning.

Nothing, absolutely nothing in the hands of God

is ever wasted. Thank you for joining me on this

journey through God's providence. My prayer is

that from this day forward, you will never look

at your life the same way again. Every delay,

every closed door, every unexpected conversation,

every valley, Every victory, every tear, every

unanswered prayer, every painful goodbye, every

unexpected detour, every season of waiting, none

of it has been random. For those who love God

and are called according to his purpose, he is

still working, quietly, faithfully, perfectly.

And even when you cannot trace his hand, you

can trust his heart. Until next time, keep walking

by faith, keep trusting his providence, because

your story is not over. The author is still writing.

Together in faith, together in Christ.