When You Don’t Understand Why – Part 1 — A ‘Time With God’ Devotion

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Transcript

Good morning,

Every weekday morning at this time, I meet with you to help you start your day the best way possible, and that is by spending some time with God, the most important thing you do in your life. God is number one. Of course we often don’t put him at number one.

But the reality is that nothing is more important to our lives than our relationship with God. The one who made us, the one who designed humanity, knows how He designed us and what will make our lives work the way He designed them to work and wants to pass that on to us. The Bible is so practical, so full of insight and guidance for our lives, and that’s what we want to get in touch with each weekday morning at this time.

Each week we have a theme, and the theme for this week is what to do when you don’t understand why.

And isn’t it true that this is so practical? So often in our lives we have this question – Why are these things happening to me? Why would God allow this in my life? Why have I come to this place of such desperation, and I’ve tried everything, and I can’t find any way out of it. What am I supposed to do? Well, that’s what this week is all about, and here’s the big lesson for today.

When you don’t understand why. Remember who.

When you don’t understand why, remember who, and of course the who is God.

One of the people who found himself in this kind of situation in the Bible, of course, was Job, who went through such terrible devastation in his life, death of so many people close to him, and then this horrible disease attacking his skin, making him miserable, it went on and on. He had no idea why he was walking with God, obeying God. Why would God let this happen to him?

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And just listen to his perspective as he remembers who he trusts in.

Job chapter 19 starting in verse 14 in the Bible says:

My relatives have gone away. My closest friends have forgotten me. My guests and my female servants count me a foreigner. They look on me as on a stranger. I summon my servant, but he doesn’t even answer, though I beg him with my own mouth. My breath is offensive to my wife. I’m loathsome to my own family. Even the little boys scorn me when I appear, they ridicule me. All my intimate friends detest me. Those I love have turned against me. I’m nothing but skin and bones. I’ve escaped only by the skin of my teeth.

Have pity on me, my friends. Have pity, for the hand of God has struck me. Why do you pursue me as God does? Will you never get enough of my flesh? Oh, that my words were recorded, that they were written on a scroll, that they were inscribed with an iron tool on lead or engraved in rock forever. I know That my redeemer lives and that in the end He will stand on the earth and after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God. I myself will see Him with my own eyes, I and not another, how my heart yearns within me.

Well, you can hear the devastation in Job’s life, can’t you? You can hear in him this wondering why are things the way they are. And yet this statement in the middle of this passage that we read where Job says, but I know that my Redeemer lives.

When you don’t understand why things are the way they are, just remember God is there when you feel helpless, hopeless, all alone.

Remember that God is there. It isn’t over. Hope is not lost. God is there. If everything is going wrong in your life today and you don’t understand it and you have no idea what to do, it’s time to turn to God. He’s there. He’s the only one who can bring you through. And if you don’t have a relationship with God where you feel like you can turn to Him, you need to understand there’s this barrier between us and God. We’ve offended Him so many times we face His judgement, but God loves us in spite of that.

That’s why Jesus came into our world and died on the cross for us. He took our place. He experienced the judgement that we deserve. He was alienated from His Father, God, so that we could be brought near to God. It’s a gift.

When someone gives you a gift, you don’t have to pay for it. They pay for it, and God has already paid for the gift of your forgiveness to bring you into a right relationship with Him. He’s just waiting for you to accept that gift and turn to Him in faith. You can do that right now. Just say, God, I know I’m helpless. I’m hopeless. I know I’ve offended you. Please forgive me. Thank you for what you’ve done for me.

Then God is in your life, and even if you’re in your horrible situation still, life is so different when God is walking through it with you.

I’m John North.

To go deeper in your faith, visit AFCI.com.au.