Does God make sense?

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.” Isaiah 55: 8 NIV

Sometimes not. I remember thinking that following God would be a somewhat easier journey by comparison. The path would be clear, and the outcome would be positive. I think I might have been 11 or 12. I am now 57 years old, and my opinion has gone completely inside out. If I ever wonder who has the best outcome, God is the clear winner. However, the path is usually never clear and in fact the route I end up taking is not often logical.

Example after example comes to mind. Breathe Coffee House started as an idea that took a decade to become reality. I was one of the ones telling my friend “Quit your job.” It made no sense from a worldly evaluation, but it is now one of the most peaceful places on earth. The job I have now called for me to quit a tax supported job with benefits to take a job with still zero guaranteed income and no benefit package. In hindsight, it still does not make sense.

The day this devotional gets posted will coincide with my friend starting what sounds like the most daunting bout with chemotherapy and radiation that I have heard. She is mom tough. But it seems like there ought to be a limit to what someone has to go through to be in God’s plan. I think that is the point, the limit goes beyond our ability to measure.

The length Jesus had to go through to follow the will of God was all encompassing. He was willingly crucified. Think about it, He was Jesus. He was sent as a baby to a virgin. He was born in a manger. He was crucified and placed in a tomb. He came back. None of this makes sense to the world.

He could heal someone as He desired. I may think of odd things, but while He was being beaten and nailed to a cross, He could not let Himself entertain the very thought of retribution. If He had allowed Himself to even think something as simple as “I rebuke you” the torture would have ended. He could have wished an army of angels coming to His aide and it would have happened. The path was harsh, but necessary.

Have you lost a child? Have you had friends die? Do you struggle with finances? Do you start chemo today? Faith through any of this makes no sense from a worldly point of view. But zoom out to a heavenly perspective. Has God used death? I have seen Him use it. Can weakness from physical disease or affliction strengthen spiritual muscle? Can it cause a closer walk with Him? Although I sometimes ask Him for one, God does not owe me any explanation.

There are exceptions, but we give too much credit to ourselves when it comes to the negatives in our life. I did not cause Jordyn’s death. I did not cause Korbin to have autism. You probably did not cause the thing your struggle with either.

If I place the blame for bad things happening at my own feet I have to assume that I am the center of the picture. The outcome would be based on me and if I managed to somehow get my faith just right, I would actually glorify me, not God. That is backwards. God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things. That glorifies Him. Negatives in your life may not be your fault at all. They may be your calling.

When do you pay the most attention to people, in good times or in struggles?

When do you pay the most attention to God, in good times or in struggles?

Challenge: Be careful assuming that your faith is lacking when you are struggling. That can be demoralizing when in fact God is working, even though it may not make sense.

Rick Claiborn