Understanding God
There are some things that happen in life that we will never understand. There are some events that God orchestrates or allows in our lives that are beyond our human comprehension and understanding. That’s OK. If we could understand everything about God then He would be minimized and we as humans would be elevated like God. That would be the religion of humanism. We all fall far short of the Lord.
We have legitimate questions:
- Why did the loved one develop cancer?
- Why is it that you have a debilitating sickness?
- What will you do now that a family member has died?
- Where will I find another job?
- Who do I turn to when relationships are strained?
- What happened to my kid?
- Why are there so many problems in the world?
- Another car wreck? Really?
Job was accused and assaulted by Satan himself. If you read Job chapters 1-2 you will find that if there was a way to suffer in life and still not die – Job suffered it.
- Job’s oxen company was stolen by a neighboring tribe of people.
- Job’s wool business with 7000 sheep was shut down when lightening (fire from heaven) struck, killing them instantaneously.
- Job’s transportation enterprise with 3000 camels was closed when the camels were “carried away” by thieves.
- Job’s 7 sons and 3 daughters were celebrating a party in one of the sons houses when a storm came knocking down the walls and killing Job’s entire family.
- On top of the family businesses and the family dying, Job comes down with a devastating illness. His body is covered with boils from the bottom of his feet to the top of his head. The boils ooze and he scrapes them with sharp shards of pottery while applying fire ashes to his wounds. He aches with burning pain from the inside out. He cannot sleep at night. He loses weight and his cloths wrap up around his body. His condition is so bad that when friends come to see him – they cannot recognize him.
- This pain is suffered for about 12 months. An. Entire. Year.
The young friend, Elihu, suggests in his last speech to Job that man cannot “comprehend” God. He says in Job 37:5 “God thundereth marvellously with his voice; great things doeth he, which we cannot comprehend.”
Very true. All the bad things that we see, feel, and endure in life are much bigger than us. We need the Lord – even when we do not understand. Romans 8:28 assures: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”
If we cannot understand the Lord in the “bad times” what about the “good times?”
David writes in Psalm 40:5 and declares: “Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.”
David was also no stranger to tragedy. In this Psalm, we see him trying to count the blessings God placed on his life. We cannot count all the blessings, but we should try. David could not stop talking about the “wonderful works” of God.
We will still not be able to fully comprehend “why” or “how” it is that God would choose to bless us. We do not deserve grace, goodness, or the love of God. Go figure that. We cannot explain the Lord!!! Just be thankful for Who God is and what He has done in both “good” times and “bad” times.
Counting the blessings helps us in several ways.
- Counting blessings removes our eyes from being fixated on our problems and to refocus our gaze upon the Lord.
- Counting blessings reaffirms in our mind God’s love for us.
- Counting blessings realigns our perspective to be thankful.
- Counting blessings helps us realize how great, big, incredible, wonderful, amazing, loving, giving, and awesome our God is.
We will not fully comprehend all that God says, does, or allows in life. That’s ok. Let God be God in your life. His way is perfect – even when we do not understand.
EDC Christian 