Military historians call the battle a "meeting engagement." A meeting engagement is a collision between two opposing forces more or less unprepared for battle. The Battle of Gettysburg is the classic example of a meeting engagement. It was in fact a chance encounter between a Confederate brigade foraging for supplies and a Union cavalry division reconnoitering a town of no particular strategic importance. Both sides felt the need to reinforce rather than withdraw, and soon sides began to commit their entire strength to the battle.
Let's see if we can apply all this to our own battles in life, shall we? In my own life and ministry, I think the most difficult trials I've faced are those unexpected ones. Out of the blue, with no time to prepare, you're hit with an unexpected test. Sure, you expect a major trial from time to time. But now, Lord? This, Lord? Yes, now. Yes, this.
Maybe you're the same way. I don't know what you're going through today, but God does. He not only knows where you are, he knows where all this is heading. You don't. But none of that affects God's will. His plan is unfolding regardless of our limited perspective. None of us sees and knows the future. God does both. There are no surprises, no "meeting engagements," with him. Though we are often baffled, God is fulfilling his plan. He's carrying out his will. God is at work through it all even when we can't understand it and can't explain it. When we think God's timing is way off, in fact it's spot on. And it's all for his glory and our good.
When my wife passed away 13 years ago, I would sometimes say, "Becky struggled for 4 years before cancer finally took her home." Wrong. God took her home and he used cancer to do it. On other occasions, I might refer to Becky's death as "premature." "She died far too young." Wrong again. No death is ever premature from God's perspective. We mustn't ever think that because a death is unexpected it is therefore unacceptable. No one dies prematurely. God plans both life and death. If he doesn't, he's not sovereign.
I love how the Living Bible renders Psalm 139:16: "You saw me before I was born and scheduled each day of my life before I began to breathe." The day of your birth was marked out by God for a reason and for a purpose. So is the day of your death. This truth will comfort you when you lose a loved one, maybe someone younger than you, maybe your very own child or a dear parent you've loved all your life. When it's time for us to go, it's time. 13 years ago the Lord said, "It's time Becky. Come home, precious daughter, come home."
Our entire lives are in God's hands. He is the potter, we are the clay. He is God, we are not. Embrace that truth. Teach it to your children and your grandchildren. Our times are in God's hand.