The Long Game – Part 2

“Playing the long game means taking the necessary steps, now, to set yourself up for long-term success.”

Allison E. McWilliams, PhD

In my last post, I began discussing how God plays the long game for our good. If you’d like to read those initial thoughts, you can find them at The Long Game – Part 1.

Thankfully, God’s faithfulness is a fact. But sometimes we wait a long time to see His promises come true. God promised that Abram would become the father of many nations, yet 25 years passed before Isaac was born. And centuries later, God’s promise continues to be fulfilled. God’s timetable is simply quite different than ours.

But sometimes life is hard, and we are hurting. Can we bear to wait for God to come through for us? Is God really good? When God is silent, can we still believe that He cares for us? Is He playing the long game on our behalf or have we been forgotten?

Long Game Stories From Scripture

Joseph

Remember Joseph? The one whose brothers sold him into slavery to get rid of him only to have him be the one to save their lives years later? This young man lived through great hardship and could have grown angry and bitter. Instead, while he watched his dreams trampled in the dust, Joseph grew strong in the knowledge of the God of his fathers.

In the midst of his trials, Joseph understood God was faithfully working in spite of how life seemed. Joseph was torn from the position of honored son and shoved into slavery in a foreign land. Later, though honorable in all his dealings, Joseph was thrown into jail for a crime he didn’t commit. He could have despaired and given up on God’s faithfulness. Instead, Joseph learned to fully trust the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as God played the long game for His people.

Years passed. God moved Joseph from slave to prisoner to top dog in Pharaoh’s court. Years of hardship had taught Joseph much about God’s faithfulness. When Joseph’s brothers bowed before him years after they sold him, Joseph was able to say with assurance that, while they had worked with an evil heart, God had worked for good.

Joseph’s life reminds us to trust God even when things are hard. God alone knows all the reasons why He didn’t take Joseph out of the tough place. But God walked with Joseph through each of those difficult moments and years. When we know God’s heart is for our good, we can trust Him, even when life is painful. Jehovah is playing the long game on our behalf.

Moses

God used a famine and Joseph to move the children of Israel to Egypt. Years passed; Joseph died; the Israelites flourished; and now the Egyptians were afraid. Concerned that the Israelites might overpower them, the Egyptians threw the first punch. Slavery became the lifestyle for God’s people in a place that once was their oasis from famine. How could this be?! Wasn’t God the One Who led them there?

The children of Israel could have concluded that the God of their fathers had abandoned them. With such cruel treatment, how could they believe He loved them and would be faithful to the promise He made to Abraham, their forefather?

But God was at work, once again playing the long game for His people. In spite of an edict by Pharaoh to kill the newborn Israelite male babies, Moses was hidden safely until he was placed in a basket and set afloat in the Nile River. Pharaoh’s daughter found the baby, adopting him as her own. Moses’ mother, the one who trusted God enough to let her child go, received him back for a time as she became Moses’ salaried nursemaid. God’s long-range plan included short-range evidence of His gracious hand at work.

As silent as God seemed, Jehovah knew His children were ill-treated, and He wasn’t ignoring their plight. But God works at a different speed and in a different way than we do. He knew what each and every one of those captives needed. Jehovah was preparing their way out while He worked in their hearts. God was playing a long game of blessing for those He loved.

What Does This Mean For Me?

God’s character is unequivocally faithful and good. But His ways are far different than ours. And much of what goes on in this life doesn’t make sense to us and is often harsh.

Thankfully, our Creator weaves the dark times of our lives in with the golden ones for a purpose far greater than we could ever plan. We may not see what He intends to do with our painful moments now, but trusting His heart, we can cling to the One who is playing the long game for our good.

The Eternal God sees beyond what we see. And His love for us is great. With His long view and His good heart, our LORD and Savior is the place for us to run. The One Who is playing the long game on our behalf is worthy of our trust.

“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”

Romans 8:28

(Photos: Taken by Carolyn Thigpen, June, 2021, Tribble Mill Park, GA, USA)