Fruitful Living
UNDERSTANDING GOD WHEN HE DOESN’T MAKE SENSE
For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. – Jeremiah 29:11
We found this on the net from Bible Study Tools and find it so compelling that we are glad to share it with you.
INTRODUCTION
We have all heard it said before that God has a plan for our lives. And it’s not just any plan but a good plan. These aren’t just ideas we conjure up to make ourselves feel good, this is what God has promised.
If this is true (and it is) I want to pose a question:
• Why doesn’t it always feel good?
• Why is it that sometimes in the middle of God’s good plan, something happens that just doesn’t make any sense?
• What do you do when God’s good plan for your life seems to go sideways?
• When instead of everything going right, it feels all wrong?
WHY DOES THIS HAPPEN?
The two reasons why sometimes we feel that God’s plan is going awry in our lives are expectation and elevation.
• EXPECTATION
Quite frankly when we hear that God is good and He has good plans in store for our life, we generally come to a simple conclusion…everything that happens in our lives is going to be good. Consider for a moment Joseph in the Old Testament.
God gave him a dream in Genesis 37 where his brothers and his parents would eventually bow down to him. I don’t know if Joseph fully understood the dream but it probably created in him an expectation of good things happening in his life. After all his father loved him and he had no reason to think otherwise.
We often react the same way. Knowing that God our father loves us and He has the best planned for us, we expect it all to go well. We don’t give any room to anything else. The promise of Romans 8:28 is that God will work everything for our good, not that everything will always feel good.
• ELEVATION
The second reason God doesn’t make sense sometimes is because His thinking is far above ours. In Isaiah 55:8-9 God reminds us that His thoughts and ways are not our ways. In fact, they are far above or elevated over our thoughts and ways. This means that the methods and strategies that God has designed to fulfill this good plan in our life go far beyond your thought process. In other words, He is going to get us there, He just may take a different route to do it.
Keeping these two things in mind, I would like to share with you 5 things to do to help us understand God better when He doesn’t make sense.
- WE HAVE TO BE HONEST WITH GOD
I have often heard people say we can’t question God. My response to that has always been why not? God is our heavenly Father. We have every right to come before Him with everything we don’t understand, in fact God Himself encourages it as we read in 1 Peter 5:7 says, “Cast all your anxiety on Him because he cares for you.” This means that our cares, our concerns, our worries, in other words…everything.
Prayer only works if we are completely honest and transparent with God. Don’t worry, He can handle every emotion we have. Whether it is fear, anger, worry, concern, joy, sadness, doubt, uncertainty – God our Father can handle it.
In Matthew 11 John the Baptist was in prison. He was there after having preached about the coming of the Messiah; after having baptized Jesus and declared Him the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world; after seeing the Holy Spirit descend on him and hearing the voice from heaven declare this is my Son with whom I am well pleased; after seeing and hearing of the miracles. Jesus said of those born among women, there is no one greater than John the Baptist.
John from his prison cell sent his disciples to ask Jesus a question. “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” – Matthew 11:3. John was uncertain. He was unsure. He didn’t know, so what did he do? He asked. And when Jesus heard the question, He wasn’t offended. He responded. Be certain today you can be open and honest before God. Trust me, you won’t offend Him. In fact He invites us into His presence.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” – Matthew 11:28-29. - LEARN FROM THOSE WHO HAVE COME BEFORE US
Romans 15:4 gives us a wonderful reminder, “Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled.”
Everything that was written before was to teach us. Remember when Paul wrote this to the church in Rome, there wasn’t a New Testament, all they had was the Old Testament. Paul encourages them to learn from what God has done, study his track record.
What I love about the people we read about in the Bible is that God doesn’t leave anything out. We see their struggles, their questions, their doubts. Yes, we see their victories and successes as well, but God doesn’t leave out the challenges they faced to get to the destination God had for them. God did this to encourage us.
It’s like He is saying “Yes my child there will be times where what I am doing won’t make sense to you. However, as you have seen in the lives of those who have come before you, I will always come through. I have fulfilled my promises before and I will do the same for you.” - WE HAVE TO STOP BLAMING YOURSELF
One of the lies of Satan is to get us to believe that if God is not doing something fast enough in our lives, it is our fault. Have you ever asked the question why me or what did I do to deserve this? Many times, the answer is nothing. However, I am not talking about people who choose to willfully live in sin, that’s a whole different conversation.
I want to give you hard truth. We live in a sinful, fallen world. There will be things that will happen simply because of this fact. This reality will sometimes leave questions that may never get answered on this side of eternity. If and when these things happen, don’t blame yourself.
If you are walking with God and obeying his word, even then life will happen. We have to understand that as believers our hope is not just for this life. All of God’s goodness will not be experienced in this life. He has even more planned for us. Let us stop blaming ourselves when something unexpected happens. Remember that it is not our fault and recognize the best is yet to come.
“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him” – 1 Corinthians 2:9. - WE HAVE TO BELIEVE AND TRUST
Let’s face it, the Christian walk is a walk of faith and trust. There is no way around it. 2 Corinthians 5:7 reminds us of this truth: “For we live by faith, not by sight.”
The hard part about faith is that many times the circumstances don’t always align. Where you are going doesn’t always match where you are. If you remember Joseph’s story, he was headed to the palace yet he had to go through prison before he got there. This is where faith and trust come into play. Faith says “I don’t know what you are doing but I know you are working it out for my good. Because I believe that, then I can trust you.”
Just like we often group grace and mercy together, faith and trust are necessary if we are going to understand what God is doing in our life. - REMEMBER JESUS
One of the best ways to understand God when life doesn’t make sense is to remember Jesus. While we understand what Jesus did looking back on it now, His disciples and the people who were alive while it was happening didn’t get it. Jesus is our great champion, the Son of God, the miracle worker, the one who speaks and the winds and waves obey Him.
He is the one who has all power and authority, but He is going to die and this death is going to bring us life? No one truly understood it while it was happening. The pieces of the puzzle didn’t come together until after the resurrection. That’s when it started to make sense. Notice Peter’s words in the book of Acts:
“God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear … Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah” – Acts 2:32-33, 36.
By remembering Jesus’ life, we will understand that sometimes the way God gets you to the desired result doesn’t always follow the script we think it should. No one at the time thought that Jesus’ death on the cross was a good idea, but now we know it was the best thing that has ever happened for all of us.
IT WILL ALL COME TOGETHER
As you can see the promises and plans of God for our lives are good. Nonetheless, along the way to getting there we may encounter some things that will make you want to question that. When this happens (and chances are it will) remember how great God’s love is for us and trust that His love for us will never fail. His good plan will be accomplished in our lives and there is nothing anyone can do to stop it. As the Apostle Paul reminds us:
“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” – Romans 8:38-39.
Let us walk with God today and know that God has nothing but the best planned for us. Even when it doesn’t make sense.
Stay blessed!
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4. Correct the falsehood
If someone misrepresents Muhammad (pbuh), teach people who Muhammad (pbuh) really was.
Tell them about his mercy.
Tell them about his justice.
Tell them about his patience.
Tell them about his forgiveness.
5. Report genuine offences
Use lawful channels.
The Muslim does not become the police, prosecutor, judge and executioner.
6. Protect the innocent
If one Christian insults Islam, do not attack another Christian who knows nothing about it.
If one Muslim makes an offensive statement, do not blame all Muslims.
7. Restore peace
After the controversy, bring responsible Muslim and Christian leaders together.
Talk.
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Clarify.
Forgive where forgiveness is appropriate.
And rebuild trust.
Ghana must not become a battlefield of religious provocation
My dear brothers and sisters in Islam,
Let us look around Ghana.
Muslims and Christians have lived together for generations.
We have Muslim fathers with Christian in-laws.
Christian mothers with Muslim sons-in-law.
Muslim and Christian business partners.
Muslim and Christian neighbours.
Muslim and Christian classmates.
Muslims and Christians serving together in the military, police, public service, universities, hospitals, markets and businesses.
This is Ghana.
We must protect this peace.
Religious freedom is precious.
But religious freedom comes with religious responsibility.
A microphone is not a weapon.
A pulpit is not a battlefield.
A smartphone is not a licence to spread hatred.
A viral video is not a fatwa (religious decree).
And anger is not evidence.
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A word to Muslim scholars
To my fellow Imams and Islamic scholars:
Allah has placed a trust upon our shoulders. You are the best of generations selected for the guidance of mankind. Quran chapter 3:110.
When people are angry, we must calm them.
When people are confused, we must educate them.
When people want revenge, we must teach justice.
When people want violence, we must remind them of Allah.
Our microphone should extinguish fire—not pour petrol upon it.
The Prophet said:ِ
لَيْس َ الشَّدِيد ُ بِالصُّرَعَةِ، إِنَّمَا الشَّدِيد ُ الَّذِي يَمْلِك ُ نَفْسَه ُ عِنْد َ الْغَضَب
“The strong man is not the one who can overpower others; rather, the strong man is the one who controls himself when angry.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, 6114; Sahih Muslim, 2609)
This is strength.
Self-control is strength.
Restraint is strength.
Wisdom is strength.
Justice is strength.
A word to Christian preachers
And to our Christian brothers and sisters, especially those who preach:
We Muslims deeply revere Jesus (peace be upon him)
He is not an ordinary man in Islam.
He is ʿĪsā ibn Maryam عليه السالم, a mighty Messenger of Allah.
The author is the Chief Imam of Katamanso Municipal and Certified Counsellor and Governance Expert.
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When Paul tells us that our “attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus,” he had summarized in the previous two verses what such an attitude was: selflessness, humility, and service. “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others” – Philippians 2:3-4.
In other words, the attitude a Christian should reflect is one that focuses on the needs and interests of others. Without question, that does not come naturally to us. When Christ came into the world, He established a whole new attitude to relationships with others. One day when His disciples were arguing among themselves regarding who was to be greatest in His kingdom, Jesus said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you.
Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave – just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” – Matthew 20:25-28. Jesus is teaching us that, when we become preoccupied with our own things, it can cause conflicts and other problems with people we know. Instead, God wants us to have an attitude of serious, caring involvement in the concerns of others.
Paul speaks more about this Christ-like attitude in his letter to the church in Ephesus: “that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.– Ephesians 4:22-24. Many religions of today, including the New Age philosophies, promote the old lie that we are divine or that we can become gods. But the truth of the matter is that we will never become God, or even a god. Satan’s oldest lie was promising Adam and Eve that, if they followed his advice, “- and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3:5, NKJV.
Each time we try to control our circumstances, our future, and the people around us, we’re only demonstrating that we want to be a god. But we must understand that, as creatures, we will never be the Creator. God doesn’t want us to try to become gods. Instead, He wants us to become like Him, taking on His values, His attitudes, and His character. We are meant to “be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” – Ephesians 4:23-24.
Finally, we must always keep in mind that God’s ultimate goal for His children is not our comfort, but the transformation of our minds into the attitude of godliness. He wants us to grow spiritually, to become like Christ. This doesn’t mean losing our personalities or becoming mindless clones. Christlikeness is all about transforming our minds. Again, Paul tells us, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will” – Romans 12:2.
It is God’s will that we develop the kind of mindset described in the Beatitudes of Jesus – Matthew 5:1-12, that we exhibit the fruit of the Spirit – Galatians 5:22-23, that we emulate the principles in Paul’s great chapter on love – 1 Corinthians 13, and that we strive to pattern our lives after Peter’s characteristics of an effective and productive life – 2 Peter 1:5-8.
Establishing our actions in righteousness
Every person is commanded to live up to divine standards.
a. In the words of Jesus
“ For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Be ye, therefore, perfect, even as your Father, who is in heaven, is perfect” – Mt. 5:20, 48.
Every person in the world is required to live up to that standard. You say, “You’ve got to be kidding!” No, I’m not. You are obligated to live up to that standard with a pure inside as well as a right outside. But you say, “I can’t!” You are absolutely right. That’s why we are given the solution…
b. In the words of Paul
As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one; But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference;– Rom. 3:10, 21-22a.
Though you can’t obtain on your own the righteous standard Christ set, you can receive His righteousness if you are one of those who believe. Isn’t that great? God set the holy standard. And when you acknowledge that you can’t live up to it, He says, “My Son is not only the Lawgiver, but He is the Redeemer as well, who makes it possible for you to live on that level.” Beloved, it’s a fantastic thing! The standard is so high we can’t obtain it. But Christ met that standard and imputes to us His righteousness. Oh, what a blessed thing!
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