Giving Up the Right to Understand - Martin Wiles

Take your son, your only son…and to the land of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains. Genesis 22:2 NLT

Pete was obeying God. Why was life falling apart?

The events unfolded slowly at first, and then with rapidity. Pete had answered God’s call a number of years before. Now events with enough explosive power to derail all that were taking place. Although the circumstances weren’t his fault, they were also beyond his control. Decisions had been made that would affect the rest of his life. He saw a resignation in his future. He saw other churches not wanting to call him as pastor. He didn’t understand why God was allowing this.  

Depression stalked Pete for more than a year after the ground completely moved from beneath him. Not until he gave up his right to understand was he able to finally move forward into other areas God opened for him. 

Peter was forced to do what Abraham had to do. God promised him a son through whom millions of descendants would come. Now he was asking him to sacrifice that same son. How in the world would the descendants come if the son was dead? But he didn’t question God. He had enough faith to believe God could resurrect his son. 

God promises to love me unconditionally, to use me in His service, to gift me with talents and special abilities, and to work all things together for my good, but He never promises I’ll understand all the ways He’ll work to accomplish that. Pete didn’t, Abraham didn’t, I haven’t, and millions of others haven’t either. 

A crucial element of following and serving God is giving up the right to understand His ways. By faith, I believe He is working to form me more each day into His Son’s image. By faith, I trust that what comes out on the other side will be spiritually healthier than what’s on this side. If I could always understand God, I’d be like God…and I’m not. 

Following God is a journey of faith which includes rarely understanding what He’s doing and why. When we give up this right, it frees Him to do things in and through us He could never accomplish otherwise. 

Let God be God whether you understand Him or not.

Prayer: Father, give us faith to trust You regardless of how things appear. 

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