Have you ever heard the saying, ”Remember, God has something up his sleeve besides his everlasting arm”? While purging some old files I found this little saying on a card that I received from a friend. I looked at it and tossed it in the garbage but to be honest I’ve been thinking about it ever since.

“God has something up his sleeve…”

That’s a good thing to remember when we’re under pressure, or under threat or under stress. No matter how desperate our situation, God always has something up his sleeve. God has a plan and a purpose for our lives — and for the ages. God has a plan that covers every detail, every need, every problem of your life and mine. That is a pretty good reminder!

Here’s the thing, God may have a plan but that doesn't mean that you and I will necessarily understand what it is! The other thing is this: just because you don’t see anything doesn’t mean God is not doing something.

I don’t think we could even begin to comprehend God’s plan for the universe or for our individual lives. Our minds are finite and God is most definitely not. You and I have been around long enough to know that there will be times in life when God will allow us to go through something —difficult —for reasons that we can not understand.

No one understood this principle better than the Old Testament prophet Daniel.

If you’ve been with us on Sunday’s or you have been listening to the messages online, you will know that we have been talking about Daniel. Daniel was one of the bright and rising stars of Israel when the nasty King Nebuchadnezzar (boo!) of Babylon ordered that he be taken captive. He was uprooted from his home and culture and suffered anxiety, humiliation, and persecution as a captive of the Babylonians. Yet, even in the midst of all that Daniel remained faithful to his God.

AND God had not forgotten Daniel. The Babylonian invasion was not a surprise to God. God worked all of those events together in Daniel's life to accomplish a positive purpose in a negative world.

Daniel became a strong witness of truth and encouragement for his people — and to us even today because he was able to stand out, stand up, stand strong and stand firm in faith.

Maybe you are experiencing something today that looks like a setback, a failure, the end of everything— but God has something up his sleeve. You may be surprised by the events of this life, but nothing surprises God.

So take heart. You are not alone and you never will be. Your faithfulness and willingness to stand against pressure and persecution will not go unnoticed. You are connected to a limitless, powerful God.

God makes that unlimited power available to you and that power is as unlimited as God himself.

Stand firm!