Circumstances are rarely smooth sailing for long, in case you haven’t noticed. My heart has been hurting as I’ve been praying over several different situations that dear friends of mine are faced with right now. I wish with all of my heart that I could reach through text messages and hug the hurts away or say that perfect thing that will make their lives more bearable.
But I can’t.
Because sometimes words and hugs don’t cut it. What we all want to understand, at least a little, is what God is doing.
When fatigue overpowers, loved ones hurt, and loss is excruciatingly real, answers can easily become buried in the oppressive, swirling, confusing thoughts that are desperately grasping to make sense of it all.
What if, however, in the abyss of confusion we fought against the urge to understand? I know it sounds crazy, especially to this reflective mind who is constantly trying to understand the “why” behind everything I do.
My wise daddy made it a point as I grew up to squelch that urge that I have when my understanding wasn’t the answer with a sound piece of advice: “It’s not our job to understand; it’s just our job to trust.”
If anyone would know that fact to be true, it would be him. Having lost his wife and son and being a widower before 30 brought about some days of doubting and questioning as he grieved the life that he had but didn’t get to finish out with those he loved.
He has told me that when he got to the place where he stopped trying to understand the “why” behind everything he was able to move forward.
I recently heard the testimony of well-known author Anne Rice. She renounced her faith and left the church at 18. Decades later, as she was researching for a new novel, she came across some historical facts from the time when Jesus was on earth and ended up pursuing a search for the Truth. She found herself believing in God, but wasn’t sure what to do about following Him given all of the confusing and controversial issues in this world.
Here is the conclusion that gave her peace, “Well, what happened to me on that Sunday that I returned to faith was this: I received a glimpse into what I can only call the Infinite Mercy of God. It worked something like this. I realized that none of my theological or social questions really made any difference. I didn’t have to know the answers to these questions precisely because God did.
He was the God who made the Universe in which I existed.” Source
Anne Rice came to faith when she accepted that she didn’t have to understand.
These are only a couple of examples that prove an incredibly powerful scripture that unfortunately may have become less potent in the ears of those who are familiar with popular Bible verses.
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.” Proverbs 3:5
These verses are game changers in how we live and view the difficulties we face in life.
Let go of understanding. Just trust in the LORD.
And remember that He will never leave or forsake you. (Deut. 31:6)