Can life change completely – in an unprecedented way – in one day?

Of course, there have always been life events that can cause sudden one-hundred-and-eighty-degree turns to daily life. Going from stability to something entirely unknown in one day. Lives turned topsy-turvy in a never expected way. We can all think of such a situation.

But when I look in the Bible, I find three episodes where in one day never-before-happenings caused major life flip-flops the entire nation experienced. One good. Two not so good.

In Exodus we see Pharaoh doing an abrupt turnabout. First, he lets the Israelites go, then realizes his workforce is gone. So with a hard heart and desiring to get life back to taking advantage of God’s people, he prepares and loads up his best chariots and horses to catch his former slaves. When the army catches up to their prey two things happen. The angel of the Lord moves to protect the Israelites by standing guard between the two groups. Then in less than 24 hours we see the Israelites escape by way of a dried up sea bed between two walls of water after which, within that same passage, the Egyptian army is completely wiped out.

Another way to look at this story is: 1) A powerhouse went from smelling and tasting a victory mixed with revenge to experiencing their destruction – something they didn’t see coming. 2) The Israelites waffling with uncertainty about leaving the life they knew finally encountering something they didn’t think was possible. Freedom!

What a difference 24 hours made!

On the flip side, in the book of Daniel we see the nation of Judah killed or taken captive. In one day, Daniel and surviving young countrymen are removed from freely strolling the halls of the palace and listening to the prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel. They quickly discovered the life of slavery. First stripped of their manhood (2 Kings 20), then forced to accept a new name, to learn a new language and history, and to eat foreign foods (Daniel 1). Among all his fellow captives, only Daniel and his three friends decided to take a stand beginning with the food they ate.

In both these stories there was a knowledge of God, but it was at different levels. In Exodus, the people didn’t know the God of their forefathers very well but were still on His side. As a result, they found victory away from slavery. Daniel and his friends knew God much better and heard the reasons for an upcoming captivity. They willingly decided in their enslavement to not allow their new masters to rob them of their faith. (Daniel 2:16-18; 3:12-30; 4:24; 5:18-28; 6:1-28)

The Old Testament isn’t the only place we see such changes. In Revelation 18, we see an entire way of life will be wiped out in one hour! It hasn’t happened yet, but we see that God plans to do another dramatic action. Of course, we don’t know when that will be, but it will take place. Revelation 18:4 calls for God’s people to leave any thing evil so that we do not get caught up in the punishment of those who hate God and His people. This is God’s warning for all of us.

The times we live in are crazy. The setting is right for a mighty act of God to happen. If we put our confidence in Jesus then when we see things shaken or collapsing we have Him to turn to. Trust in the Lord Almighty that all will work out and there will be victory for good and righteousness. Just like the episodes in the O.T. if we are on God’s side we will be protected and favor will be with us. (Psalm 91)

To answer my first question… YES… life can change in a day in unprecedented ways. Something we never even considered occurring. Let’s work at focusing on Jesus so that we stand on the side of favor and freedom and hope.