So many times in our lives, we ask why certain things happen. Within the last week, I have been asked numerous times why certain people die while others who may be smarter or younger or more vital survive… And the Lord knows that there have been many times in my life when I have wondered why certain things happen – the death of a parent, the severe illness of a child, financial reversals or many other things. However, I have also learned that sooner or later the answers may come to light.
For example, maybe the loss of a job seems like the end of the world, but then somebody crosses your path who just wants to hear that it is going to be okay on the other side. And if you hadn’t gone through that experience, you may not have been in the position to speak truth and words of wisdom or comfort into the situation.
And most of us have had times in our lives when we had nowhere to turn and we were forced to our knees – making deals with God for something that we desperately wanted to happen. There is no guarantee that God will grant those wishes, but that doesn’t keep us from trying! With hindsight, I think that most of the times in our lives we would acknowledge that in the long run, most of the things that have happened to us have been for the best. Maybe they have even grown our faith in Jesus.
Of course, we have each faced adversity but that can also build our faith. And we really don’t need to know why God decides that certain things should or shouldn’t happen. In most situations, I have stopped asking the “why” question because it really doesn’t make any difference in the outcome. I have come to realize that I am on a “need to know” basis with God and, apparently, there are things that I don’t need to know – at least right now.
The verse for this evening highlights the fact that God wants us to trust Him for the decisions in our lives. Our verse for the night comes from the book of Proverbs. We are told, in Proverbs 3:5, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” That means that we have to trust God that knowing “why” isn’t important for us to know.
My encouragement tonight is that God is trustworthy and true. He may not be very early to address our needs, but He is never late. My prayer is that you can experience peace and serenity knowing that the Lord of the universe has your back and is making choices that are in alignment with the best possible things He has in store for you. Have a great day in the Lord, grace and peace…
Thank you so much for your uplifting and spirit filled posts.