It came to pass – not stay

There is a little phrase repeated 436 times in the Bible: ‘It came to pass.’ Whatever trial you are going through today, remind yourself, ‘It came to pass – not stay.’ If the fulfilment of the vision God gave you seems to be taking longer than you thought, remind yourself ‘it will come to pass’! In his biography, God in My Corner, the two-time world heavyweight champion George Foreman tells a story about an elderly woman who was asked her favourite Scripture verse. She replied: ‘And it came to pass.’ She explained why: ‘I know that whenever a trial comes, it doesn’t come to stay; it comes – to pass.’ And the Scripture on the flip side of this coin reads: ‘Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion’ (Philippians 1:6 NIV). In other words, He will bring it to pass! Either way, God always finishes what He starts. ‘The vision is yet for an appointed time…Though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come [to pass]’ (Habakkuk 2:3 NKJV). Battling an illness that threatened his life, and enemies who wanted to take his throne, David turned to the Lord for help. And God didn’t disappoint him. Read these two Scriptures and stand on them: ‘Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning’ (Psalm 30:5 NLT). ‘You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy, that I might sing praises to you and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever!’ (Psalm 30:11-12 NLT).© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.