Sense – When God's Ways Don't Make Sense

To our finite minds, much of life doesn't make sense. Yet God is sovereign and in complete control: His plans and purposes will stand, and we can trust, co-operate with and worship Him while He works everything together for good.

When Life Doesn't Make Sense

To our finite minds with limited understanding many things in this world do not make sense to us. In our inability to decipher what is going on we struggle in our faith and relationship with God, and often pull away from people too. Due to our helplessness and uncertainty, we are prone to complain and question God when things don't work out as we think they should. However, God is sovereign and in complete control – His plans and purposes will come to pass (Prov 16:4, 19:21; Isa 14:24, 46:10, 55:11; Ezek 12:25).

It is better to co-operate and work with Him rather than fight against what He is doing, or even being compelled to go His way (2 Kgs 19:28; Isa 37:29). While we are given freewill to choose, the Bible also declares, "The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord and He will direct it the way He pleases" (Prov 21:1). Such is the case with the ungodly kings Nebuchadnezzar and Cyrus, both of whom God refers to as "My servant", for in certain instances they unintentionally carried out God's purposes (Isa 43:10, 44:28, 45:1; Jer 27:6; Ezek 29:18-20). These humanly powerful leaders were acting under the influence of divinely directed circumstances and strategies; and though they rejected the guidance of God, their conduct was compliant to His will. Similarly the authorities in Jerusalem had their evil reasons for Jesus' death, and God had His reason, based on righteousness, to bring salvation (Act 2:23).

God's Perspective Is Higher Than Ours

We are instructed to pray, "Your will be done…" (Mt 6:10). We should be like Jesus, who when facing the agony of the cross submitted His will to that of His Father and in confidence entrusted Himself into God's loving hands (Lk 22:42, 23:46). Without a relationship to God all is meaningless, yet our purpose is found in Him (Eccl 1:2,14, 12:13; Jn 10:10).

It is essential to remember who God is (the all-powerful God) and to remember who we are (loved, redeemed, adopted children of God). Remind yourself of God's sovereign control of all things in life, humbly accepting your own inability to always understand His ways; yet confident because you know God is weaving all things together for good, even when we cannot see past our current circumstances. Each part is necessary for the overall outworking of His plans.

We can learn a lot from the life of Joseph. God was orchestrating the events for His purposes, yet Joseph was unaware of the pivotal position he would eventually play. He must have been frustrated at times, for when doing everything with goodwill and integrity it repeatedly seemed to turn against him. He experienced painful rejection from his family, false accusations from his boss' wife resulting in 13 years of wrongful imprisonment, and his request to fellow cellmates forgotten (Gen 37:19-20,28, 39:12,19, 40:15,23). How many times he must have cried out, 'Where are you God?' Yet God had been continuously involved in his life and arranging the situations, and the pieces finally came together and his destiny became evident as he was now elevated to second-in-command in Egypt for a specific reason (Gen 41:41-44). The Bible records, "Then he remembered his dreams…" that he had received numerous years ago (Gen 37:5-10, 42:9). Throughout his preparation time he had maintained a clear conscience and later gave a reasoned answer to his brothers, "You intended it for evil, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives" (Gen 50:20). It is important to realise behind the visible natural realm there is the invisible spiritual dimension where Satan is always opposed to what God is doing – yet each time God and His kingdom comes out the winner, even if from our viewpoint the 'seen' results take longer to appear than we like.

Living by Faith, Not Sight

Don't give up when you consider your life is not being ministered to as you consider it should be. Turn your attention to your loving heavenly Father who is for you, with nothing able to separate you from His love (Rom 8:31,38-39). Praise Him for your connection to Him.

Whatever confusion or heartache you are facing, have confidence that God has it all in hand. Nothing enters your life that has not first passed through His loving hands, and nothing can snatch you out of them (Jn 10:28-29). His grip on your circumstances is far stronger than the hold your problems seem to have on you, for He who watches over you never slumbers nor sleeps (Ps 121:3-4). So instead of letting uncertainty drive you away from Him, let it draw you in – walk in a close, secure relationship with Him day by day. Talk honestly with Him in prayer, listen to Him through His Word, and rest in the assurance that the One who holds the universe also holds you. Those who abide in His shadow find that confidence replaces anxiety and peace guards their hearts, for nearness to God is the safest place in an uncertain world (Ps 91:1-2; Phil 4:6-7).

Do not attempt to struggle on in the impotency of the flesh but join with God, working as a team; place yourself in alignment with His plans for your life. We are to do our duty, fulfilling our responsibilities in the secular and spiritual realms, the public and private arenas, and together with much prayer, then leave the outcome to God. Do what you believe is best (and most in agreement with Scripture), leaving the results up to Him. In humility and trust, we can rely on His superior wisdom, ability, and provision. It is true, "The secret things belong to God" (Deut 29:29). We must remember this life is not about us, yet He will complete the work He started in us (Phil 1:6).

We may think life is not fair, yet we have things much better than the vast majority of people in the world. Instead, stop complaining, start counting your blessings and cooperate with God in what He is doing. Rather than being focused on finding answers and solutions to situations, put your effort into worshipping Him and yielding yourself to Him. Worship is such a vital part of our interaction with God, and enables us to experience His tangible presence (Ps 100:4). "You are enthroned on the praises…For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears attentive to their prayer" (Ps 22:3, 34:15). His goodness must be dominant in our thoughts.

Surrender your dreams to Him – the hopes, ambitions and plans you hold most dearly. In your heart you may map out your future, but it is the Lord who establishes your steps (Prov 16:9), so hold your dreams with an open hand rather than a clenched fist. Abraham left his homeland "even though he did not know where he was going" (Heb 11:8), Joseph's boyhood dreams were buried in a pit and a prison before they were fulfilled (Gen 37:5-10, 41:41-44), and Jesus Himself prayed, "Yet not my will, but yours be done" (Lk 22:42). What you surrender to God is never wasted: He either returns it refined and enlarged, or replaces it with something better, for He is able to do "immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine" (Eph 3:20). Lay your dreams on the altar, trust His timing and wisdom, and let Him write a story for your life that is greater than the one you would have written for yourself (Ps 37:4-5; Jer 29:11).

Reflection and Application:

• Trust God's sovereignty and co-operate with what He is doing, rather than fighting against it.
• Pray "Your will be done", submitting your plans to God's higher wisdom and loving hands.
• Stop complaining; count your blessings and worship Him to experience His presence.
• Do your duty, pray much, then leave the outcome to God.

See also: attitude, disillusion, fairness, faith, freewill, give up, Joseph, night (of the soul), not being ministered to, obedience, perspective, providence, sovereignty of God, struggle, test, trust, why.