Mensa Otabil - When We Don't See What God Is Doing (09/29/2025)
We’re continuing our study from Genesis, chapter 2, verse 21. I trust that it has been beneficial to you, and this is verse 21: «And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh in its place.»
When God started the process of making the helper for Adam, He did not allow Adam to see the process; He put Adam to sleep. This reveals an essential part of how God makes what He wants for us. When God is working, this is how He operates: He does not allow us to see the process; He does not show us what He is doing while He’s doing it. It is a frustrating experience for human beings because we always want to see the process; we want to see how things work. So, when God is at work, we want to see what He’s doing and how He’s doing it.
However, here in Genesis, we see a very fundamental principle: when God is working on our behalf or doing something for us or creating something for us, He doesn’t allow us to see it. That’s how He deals with us; He will show us His work after He is done. He will present the work to us, and that’s when we get excited, calling it a miracle. But while He’s processing the miracle, He puts us to sleep—literally, He does not let us see it. God works in the darkness and reveals it in the light.
So, if you are in a situation where you think God is not working on your behalf or has forgotten about you, He has put you to sleep; you are in the darkness, but He is at work, making what you have requested of Him, and He will reveal it in the light when He is done.
Another reason why God put Adam to sleep was so that he would not see the beginnings of the creation of the helper that God was making for him. This is a very important lesson because when people see the process of your making, they devalue you. When people see your beginnings in life, they see how you started and every step of your life; they devalue you. So, when God is working with you, He has a way of hiding you from people and revealing you later.
When you look through the Bible, you see this pattern; most of the time, God takes people to the far side of the desert, puts them in a wilderness, takes them away from people’s eyes, and then reveals them—like John the Baptist, Jesus Christ, Moses, and Abraham. Just look through the Scripture: God picks you from somewhere, shuts people’s eyes to the process He is using to make you, and then reveals you later.
If at any point you feel nobody notices you and you are in the dark, God is working on you. That is how God operates, and we see that pattern right here in Genesis, chapter 2: God is making the helper for Adam, but Adam has no clue about what is going on. God doesn’t want Adam to watch how He is doing it; otherwise, Adam would tell Eve, «Well, I saw you being made; I saw how your ear was made; I saw how your nose was made; I saw your beginning.» If people see every step of the process that God uses regarding you, they will devalue you. God will shut their eyes; He will make them not notice you until He is finished working with you, and then He presents you.
We learn two important lessons: When God is working on our case, He doesn’t make us see it, and when God is raising up people or preparing them, He does not reveal them until He is finished working.
Let’s pray. Say with me: «Heavenly Father, I believe You are making something good for me. Help me to trust You even when I can’t see You at work. In Jesus' name, amen and amen.» Well, God is working on you; He has not stopped, and He will perfect that which concerns you.
I’m Pastor Mensa Otabil. Shalom, peace, and life to you.