“Trust in the LORD with all
your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.” - Proverbs 3:5
Have you ever
questioned God’s behavior, promises or direction? You are not alone. Everybody
does it. For instance, Jeremiah questioned God's reasoning in Jeremiah
32:24,25: "See how the siege ramps are built up to take the city? Though
the city will be handed over to the Babylonians, You say to me, 'Buy the
field'".
Jeremiah’s
puzzled prayer received an answer from God, but it did not make any more sense
than God’s directive to purchase the field. The enemy was about to overrun the
city of Jerusalem, and all God said was, "I am the Lord, the God of all
mankind. Is anything too hard for Me?" (Jeremiah 32:27).
It turns out that God, in His foresight, wanted to use this piece of land as an object lesson for Israel. It was an earnest of their future inheritance. It was a symbol of God’s promise to their forefathers that Israel would always be God’s people and He would always be their God (Jeremiah 32:37-38). The purchase loudly proclaimed to Israel that God would eventually bring them back to dwell in safety in the Promised Land once again.
So often we have
trouble seeing the big picture. From our perspective, the oddly shaped piece
that God provides does not fit into the puzzle of our life in any way. He gives
us a directive or opens a door or leads us down a road that just does not make
any sense to us. We end up arguing, pleading and cajoling with Him.
When that does not work, we shift into a passive aggressive mode – pretending to obey, when we actually have absolutely no intention of carrying out what we view as an incomprehensible move.
Then, we go off
and try unsuccessfully to solve the problem on our own. After hitting the brick
wall a few times, we eventually give in and obey; although, we continue to wait
impatiently for the desired results. We pace, we fret and we battle with
growing anxiety, until we sit back and pray out of frustration, finally relying
on God to reveal the purpose of His plan in His timing. While trust God during
these puzzling times in our lives, our spiritual growth increases and our
closeness with Jesus, our Bridegroom, improves.
When I compare
Jeremiah with Jonah, I see the difference between obedience and doing things my
own way. From now on, I vow to obey rather than to argue when I do not
understand. I will take a lesson from Jonah’s negative behavior, and I will
save myself a great deal of trouble!
Prayer:
Lord God, we often have difficulty comprehending how all of the pieces of your plan will work together for our good. Even if we follow your direction, we often unsuccessfully understand Your purpose - especially when things fall apart before they get better. We tend to rely on our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5). Help us to patiently trust You; because, after all, You are God!
Lord God, we often have difficulty comprehending how all of the pieces of your plan will work together for our good. Even if we follow your direction, we often unsuccessfully understand Your purpose - especially when things fall apart before they get better. We tend to rely on our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5). Help us to patiently trust You; because, after all, You are God!
Thought for the
Day:
Life operates
more smoothly when we remember that God does all things beautifully in His time.