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Do you ever feel like God isn’t seeing things correctly? Like you have to explain things to Him?
It’s two weeks before Christmas. Money is tight. Then an unexpected bill arrives in the mail or the car breaks down. You can see this wasn’t a good time, that there isn’t enough in the checking account. So why can’t God see that?
Your dad is a good man who serves others and loves the Lord, but he’s diagnosed with cancer. He’s got three months. Maybe six with chemo. And yet a lot of bad, selfish people live a lot longer than him. Do we have to explain everything to God? Doesn’t He see that’s not right?
You’re believing God for a baby. You’ve been trying for several years to get pregnant. Then you hear about the 16-year-old down the street who just had an abortion. Um, God? Are you seeing this?
You’ve identified a problem at work. The solution is clear. To everyone. But your boss vetoes the idea. Or maybe he implements it, takes credit and gets promoted. Now God, were You not in any of the meetings when I presented my plan? Everyone else knew it was my idea. How did You not know?
“Why, O LORD, do You stand far off? Why do You hide Yourself in times of trouble?” (Psalm 10:1)
“How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me?” (Psalm 13:1)
“You are God my stronghold. Why have You rejected me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?” (Psalm 43:2)
You and I aren’t the only ones with questions, are we?
No, the Bible is full of real people, with real problems and real questions. People just like us.
Fortunately, the Bible also has real answers. Not always easy or simple ones. Not always ones we’ll even like. But real answers from a real God.
And that’s where it all must begin. And end, really. With God. The one true, real God. The one who has no beginning. The one who spoke everything into existence from nothing. The one who has always desired friendship with us. The one who says:
“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” (Psalm 46:10)
“From eternity to eternity, I am God. No one can oppose what I do.” (Isaiah 43:13, The Living Bible)
I know there’s something in your life today that doesn’t make sense. Your finances. A relationship. Your health. An unfulfilled longing. And it feels like God just doesn’t get it.
I’m right there with you.
If you’re like me, you’ve tried analyzing your situation until you’ve seen it from every possible angle. You’ve mentally rehearsed the conversation and presented the undeniable facts. You’ve laid out all the evidence for God so He can see what you so clearly see. And you’ve probably lost sleep over it. But nothing changes. And so you’re left to wonder why in the world God won’t do something.
Maybe after we’ve tried all that, all the stuff that never works and only makes us feel worse, maybe it’s time to try something else…
Be still.
Stop explaining. Stop complaining. Stop analyzing. And stop strategizing.
And just be still.
Give your mind a rest. Let your heart experience His calm.
Know that He is God.
He sees you. He does. He understands your situation.
And He wants you to know Him, so you can trust Him. So you can start to see things more like He sees them.
He will be exalted. Not you. Not me.
This is His world. He made it for Himself. “All things were created by Him and for Him.” (Colossians 1:16)
From eternity to eternity, He is God. No one and no thing can oppose Him.
You and I have a choice. We can be frustrated, even angry with God for not seeing things our way or we can be still long enough to know, to really know that He is God, He is good and He can be trusted.
Maybe we need to simply remember this: if God isn’t worked up over my circumstances, then maybe I shouldn’t be either.