(When God doesn’t seem to make sense)
Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5)
By Fr. Chris Lee OFR
Have you ever gone through a situation such as marriage problems, health crisis, natural disaster, and said, “this just doesn’t make sense?” Maybe you have asked the question, “What is God doing?” Well, join the club haha. I am sure that most “honest” Christians would have to admit that we have all been there. In difficult times we can forget that God is with us, listening to us, and guiding us even if we don’t feel like it. It is easy to get distracted by the situation/s we are going through and lose sight of the bigger picture. Here are some thoughts for those times when God doesn’t seem to make sense.
In times of confusion we can either turn toward God, or away from Him. We must make the conscious decision to turn toward God, especially when we feel unsure about our situation. Jesus said, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” (Matthew 6:33, NLT) Keeping our focus on God and His attributes strengthens and equips us to keep on pressing forward through uncertainty. This is a critical time to intentionally read and study the Bible, pray, and worship in our local Church. This keeps us grounded in the truths that we do understand and encourages us to be open to possibilities we haven’t thought of yet.
It is important to remember that God loves us, hears us, and will not abandon us in our uncertainty. Just because we are confused, doesn’t mean that He is. His love for us is infinite, no matter what we are going through. Being sure of God’s unfailing love, we have more confidence in conversating with Him about our issues. This is what the writer of Hebrews meant by, “So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.”; and “I will never abandon you.” (Hebrews 4:16; 13:5b, NLT)
Our trials, tribulations, and uncertainties help develop our faith in God. Each time He leads us through a difficult situation, we become stronger than before. We more easily trust His plan in moments of confusion. As our core verse says, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5) We learn to rely less on our ability to figure everything out, and more on his providential care. What a relief it is to realize that I don’t have to know or understand everything, because God already does.
Reflection:
- What does the word Providence mean?
- What situation/s will you choose to release, to God’s Providence?
- How will you release it?