God Knows What He Is Doing!

God Knows What He is Doing!

Feeling a bit overwhelmed? Why must 'everything' go haywire on the same day?! "My spouse, the kids, the car, the rent, my work, and now my health; certainly, things cannot get any worse than this!" Does this sound like anyone living at your address? Would not it be great to find a place in life where everything is easy from now on? I know the feeling, but there is no such reality on this side of eternity. No, the truth is we face one trial after another crashing on the shores of our lives like billows and waves ceaselessly coming...coming...and coming….Then there are those awful days when 'everything' goes wrong at once...missed deadlines, a flat tire, the kids have a virus, the computer crashed, and I can't take anymore.... Sometimes it feels like pure madness; it makes no sense at all. That is, until we use our faith to recognize what is actually happening, and what is truly at stake. The Lord weighs in on this very issue; consider these perspective-shaping admonitions from the Apostle Paul,

Now all these things happened unto them [Israel] for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. 12, Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. 13, There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. (1 Cor. 10:11-13)

A number of helpful insights should be noted from this text. The Lord desires that we learn from Israel's mistakes to avoid moral failures. He likewise cautions us by making us aware of our susceptibility to overconfidence because of past victories and/or certain advantages. He then offers us His revelation (the Bible) to help us accept the reality of trials and temptations; He desires to shape our concept of challenges—even the painful ones. Then He also makes provisions to help us resist temptations and endure trials most effectively. Our Heavenly Father faithfully prepares, postures, and powers us through ever escalating challenges. Our obligation is to adopt His guiding perspective on life's tests. This involves trusting Him to supply the grace, wisdom, strategies, and power to manage the trials and temptations life seems to indiscriminately throw at us.

In fact, God faithfully prepares us for the big challenges in life by providing us with opportunities to face the smaller challenges victoriously. This strategy reflects His grand intent to avoid over burdening us with more than we can handle (1 Cor. 10:13). At first young David's task was simple--guard the family's sheep. On occasion, his guarding the sheep escalated to protecting the sheep. First, he fought against a bear and then a lion to do so. Then as a young man he faced down a Goliath in the strength of the Lord. Ultimately we see him on the throne of Israel fighting the mighty battles of the Lord against the enemy nations. His life is marked by ever escalating crises, oppositions, and triumphs! God did not put him on the throne until after He had taken David through the caves! In due course his challenges increased in magnitude and intensity under God's watchful eye.

No doubt someone will object saying, “But, I don’t want any more big challenges!” If this is your response, then you are in good company because many of us are honest enough to admit the same. You see, we are also a bit intimidated by the idea of bigger and even bigger challenges to overcome. However, we must understand that God is not like the mother who over protects her children, or the father who attempts to make life’s challenges as easy as possible for his children. Such well-meaning parents actually cripple their children and limit their ability to discern and handle life as it is. A cursory reading of the Book of Proverbs with our children will expose them to all the hardness, and wretchedness this life is capable of belching out. The Word helps prepare us all for the ugly times.

No, God is more like the battle-hardened drill sergeant who knows exactly what it takes to face battles and wars effectively. So instead of mollycoddling the new military recruits, he drives, drills, and demands more and more and yet more of them pushing them to their utmost limits! When he perceives the new recruits are at their wits end, he kicks out the walls and pushes them yet further to stretch their endurance and concentration. His aim is to develop their discipline in extremely challenging situations. Why? Because that is the true nature of war! No, he is not crazy, and this is not an amusing game to him. His purpose is crucial and his approach is serious. He does know precisely what lies ahead and how much is at stake….

And so it is with our Heavenly Father, He knows where you are presently, what lies ahead, what is at stake, how much you and I can handle, and what He needs to take us through to prepare us for yet other significant battles. Anticipating bigger challenges is a little scary; we naturally recoil at the thought of greater pain, trouble, opposition, complexity, confusion, and heartache…. We deeply yearn for life to level off and just leave us alone while we enjoy some time free of any heavy worries, problems, or perplexities. We even question God’s love for us when He permits us to experience pains and sorrows in rapid succession. We feel abandoned and alone…It is vital that we remember that even the very difficult and painful crises are tests of our faith. The immediate challenges will lead to greater ones to be sure, but God is entrusting us with His work and He does not want us to fail. He wants to increase our faith so that bigger challenges seem surprisingly smaller when He has adequately prepared us to face them. Be assured God knows exactly what He is doing. I said, God know what He is doing! Therefore, Beloved, trust in Him. Your measure of peace in the midst of war will always be proportionate to your degree of trust in the Lord. Let Him stretch you to increase your readiness for the next battle.