being at the wrong place at the wrong time

Have you ever been at the "wrong place at the wrong time"?

I was reading today of Tsutomu Yamaguchi. On August 6, 1945, just before the end of World War II, Yamaguchi, a maritime engineer, was in Hiroshima, Japan, on a business trip. At 8:15 in the morning, he heard a bomber fly over the city. Suddenly there was a great flash of light, and he was blown over by a powerful force.

A U.S. bomber had dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, which killed some 140,000 people. Yamaguchi was not one of them, for he survived the blast, though his face and arms were burned. He also suffered temporary blindness, and his hearing was damaged.

He stayed in Hiroshima that night, and the next day, Yamaguchi was able to travel to return to his home city.

His home city was 190 miles southwest of Hiroshima. His home city was Nagasaki.

Those well-versed in history know that on August 9th, three days after the bombing of Hiroshima, a U.S. bomber dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki.

Again Yamaguchi saw a great flash of light, and the building he was in was blown over. He was knocked unconscious, but was not seriously hurt. This atomic explosion killed some 70,000 people. Once again, however, Yamaguchi was not one of them. Again he lived through an atomic blast.

Interestingly, he is not the only one to have lived through the horrific experience. Although approximately 210,000 died in the bombings, some 260,000 people actually survived the blasts, including 165 people who, like Yamaguchi, were believed to have survived the deadly bombings in both cities. Still, Yamaguchi was the only person officially recognized by the Japanese government as having lived through both.

Now that's what I call being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Do you feel that way today? That you are in the wrong place at the wrong time?

I understand how you feel. Many times in my life I have felt that way. Not frequently, but there have been those seasons.

What's interesting is that our first reaction is to pray, "Lord, get me out of this situation."

"I don't want to be here". "Surely there has got to be something better than this"!

But here's what I know.

During those times and situations, God is at work and God is doing something in me.

He may not change my situation, but he most certainly is at work in me!

God doesn't look down on me when I am in the wrong place at the wrong time and say, "You know what, George, you don't like this. It can't be my will for you, because you are dissatisfied. Wow, what a mistake I have made."

No, that's not the way God feels at all.

Even if I don't like my situation, and even if I am asking to get out of it, there is a sense that God is still there and using it in ways that maybe He couldn't use other things in our lives.

You may feel like you are in the wrong place today - but God can still bring about right things. Be encouraged!