Just because God hasn’t removed our problem doesn’t mean He won’t provide a way through it. God’s ways are not our ways. His way of thinking and doing is not the same as ours. He is God and we are not. We are His creation. God is infinitely wiser than we are and His way of thinking and doing has been and always will be better than ours, which is what makes it mysterious. We will never fully understate God. And that’s okay. If we could completely figure Him out then He wouldn’t be that great and awesome of a God, would He?
Sometimes the problems in our life are purposeful to test and prove our faith and character, and to point us back to Jesus. The only way our faith and character are strengthened is when we go through times of trouble, and learn that we are not in control. We don’t grow stronger or wiser in a life of ease. We grow stronger and wiser through times of struggle and hardship. Just like when we work out. Our muscles only get stronger and bigger by working them to the point that they become uncomfortable. That discomfort is necessary to strengthen them. It causes little tears in the muscle that after healing makes them stronger and even bigger. That’s why they’re sore afterward.
Apply this principle to life.
During times of ease, we forget that we need God and mistakenly think that we’re smart enough and capable enough to make it on our own, when in fact we become weak and misguided in our own strength. This inevitably leads to trouble that causes even more pain and heartache than we would have had otherwise. You see, life is already hard enough, even when we follow Jesus. He said it would be. It’s been that way ever since Adam and Eve committed the first sin by going their way instead of God’s. As a result, life is full of thorns and thistles, pain and suffering.
But, it won’t last forever.
Jesus said, in this world, we will have trouble but take heart, He has overcome it.
So, we need to keep this in mind: life isn’t supposed to be easy, nor fair. It never has been and never will be. But we keep forgetting God, and we keep expecting that life should just go our way, which is why in times like this we’re shocked and surprised, and wonder what God is doing, or even if there is a good God out there.
This is why I love and prefer reading the Bible over anything else. It is a constant reminder of who God is, who Jesus is, who I am, and what life is all about. God is the creator of heaven and earth and all that is in it, and He is our Heavenly Father. Jesus is the Son of God, and our Savior and Lord. I am, a sinner saved by grace, redeemed by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Life is all about following Jesus, loving God, and loving others better than myself. The Bible gives a constant reassurance and comfort that God is in control, that He is good, that He loves me and has a wonderful plan and purpose for me, and you. The Bible shows me that there is a bright and beautiful future of no more pain, no more suffering, and no more death.
So, rather than freak out trying to fix what’s going on down here, I fix my eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of my faith, my Wonderful Counselor, my Mighty God, and my Prince of Peace, and all is well with my soul.
