Elect Lady's Corner

Most of us remember the movie or book “Catch 22” written by Joseph Heller that aroused our attention for many years. “Catch 22” can be defined as: “a dilemma or difficult circumstance from which there is no escape because of mutually conflicting or dependent conditions.” It can also be defined as: “a paradoxical situation from which an individual cannot escape because of contradictory rules or limitations.” 

These are situations you want to avoid or if they fall upon you, you better have God or Godly council to get out of this fatality. But sometimes we make our own catch 22 when we decide to do things our own way outside of wisdom or the will of God. Abraham created his own catch 22 when he slept with his wife Sarah’s handmaid Hagar, and produced a son named Ishmael. 

Years later, Sarah, Abraham’s wife had a son and named him Isaac. After Isaac was weaned (at 3 to 5 years old) Abraham had a great feast to celebrate. But Sarah saw Ishmael teasing Isaac and demanded that Abraham put Ishmael and his mother Hagar out of their home. She did not want them to be a part of their family as they raised their son Isaac. This became a catch 22 for Abraham! 

He loved his first-born son Ishmael, that had been his only son for 14 years prior to the birth of Isaac. Abraham was 86 years old when he had Ishmael. But he also loved his wife Sarah, whom he had been married to for over 50 yrs and she bore him the promised seed, Isaac. In his heart, Abraham probably said why can’t we all just get along? But Sarah wasn’t having it! 

So, Abraham was very grieved and couldn’t resolve this catch 22, so he turned it over to God and He worked it out. God told Abraham to hearken to Sarah and put Isaac and his mother out of their home and God would take care of his son, Ishmael. So, we have to make sure we are not responsible for the catch 22’s we create in our own lives. Even to this day, the Arabs (Ishmael’s descendants) and Israel (Isaac’s descendants) are at continual war with each other. 

On the other hand, it seems like catch 22 situations can just fall on us. In the story of David, he is being chased by King Saul and his army to kill him, when David had done him no harm. King Saul sought to kill David because of the favor of God that was on his life. So, king Saul was very envious and jealous of David. Be mindful of people who are jealous of you because of the favor of God that is upon you! 

So, David, as a fugitive running from king Saul faced a catch 22, when he entered king Saul’s tent while he was fast asleep. David had 2 options. He could kill king Saul and save his own life or let him live and continue to be chased by Saul with the intent to kill David and perhaps all his family. What should David do? Again, David did not do anything to create this catch 22, it just fell on him! Well, like Abraham, David turned it over to God and He worked it out! 

I Samuel 24:4b -6 said: “Then David arose, and cut off the skirt of Saul’s robe privily. And it came to pass afterward, that David’s heart smote him, because he had cut off Saul’s skirt. And he said unto his men, The Lord forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, the Lord’s anointed, to stretch forth mine hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the Lord.” 

Then, Psalm 105:15: said: “Saying, Touch not mine anointed, And do my prophets no harm.” So, even though logic would say this is a blessing kill your enemy, but instead David inquired of the Lord. Now, yes, it was prophesized by the prophet Samuel that David would become King, but David did not force the prophecy to come to pass, but he let king Saul live and allowed the will of God to be done according to God’s timing. 

Later, God had king Saul killed and his sons and David became the King of Israel in due time i.e. God’s time! I’m reminded of a song the older saints would sing: “You can’t hurry God, you just have to wait and give Him some time and He’ll be there don’t you worry…He may not come when you want Him, but He'll be there right on time…” 

So, let’s all beware of the “Catch 22’s in life whether you created them or they just fell upon you! But know God is the sole Deliverer of any and all the Catch 22’s of life. If you throw it to Him, He can catch it, and cast it off so it doesn’t become a fatality!