I met a friend for dinner tonight at Panera Bread. (mmm, I love Panera) The soup and sandwich was delicious, and after some general catching up, we settled into our bi-monthly Bible study. She’s a new believer and wants more of God yet is not sure He’s fully trustworthy.
On the surface, I can’t say I blame her. She looks around her and sees the heartache in the world and wonders how a good God can let such things happen. But, after discussing the freedom God grants humanity to make their own choices and the results of some of those choices, she was more reconciled to the idea of God’s intentions being admirable.
It got me thinking that sometimes even as a seasoned believer, I approach God the same way. It’s a sort of a “God, how could You….?” or in reality, “God, how dare you! “As if I had a right to my own life and it’s outcome.
The reality is that I have no rights. God holds all the cards. He is the one who determines when I’ll draw my last breath.
It makes me think of the last few chapters of Job when God shows up in a whirlwind and basically lines Job out:
Then the LORD answered Job from the whirlwind: “Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorant words? Brace yourself, because I have some questions for you, and you must answer them. “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me, if you know so much. Do you know how its dimensions were determined and who did the surveying? What supports its foundations, and who laid its cornerstone as the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy? (Job 38:1-7)
I don’t know about you, but I’d rather trust Him at the outset than have him show up in cloud.