Trusting God When We Don't Understand
By Becky Harling
“You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” - John 13:7
There have been moments in my life when I’ve been blindsided by different trials. Things like cancer, unexpected job loss, or a host of other situations where I felt caught off guard by what I believed to be true about God. Ever been there?
Recently, I was reading the Gospel of John, Chapter 13. The disciples and Jesus met in the upper room to celebrate the Passover. We call this the last supper. As the disciples gathered in the room there was no servant to wash their feet. This would have been unheard of in Middle Eastern culture, where everyone’s feet would get dirty and dusty. There must have been tension in the room, as the disciples anxiously looked at each other wondering who would take the place of a servant to wash feet. Jesus wrapped a towel around His waist, got down on His knees, and began washing their feet. Peter was appalled! Maybe he even felt a bit guilty for not being willing to be the one who would serve the others.
In any case, he questioned the Lord: “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” We could paraphrase that, “Lord are You really going to be the one to wash our feet?” In Peter’s mind, this didn’t make any sense. How could the Lord of the universe stoop so low? Then Jesus said, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand” (John 13:7). Ah those words are so profound!
Often in our lives, we believe God is moving in one direction only to discover the plan is completely different. Perhaps, we felt we’d heard from the Holy Spirit about a job opportunity, a good diagnosis, finding a godly mate, delivering a healthy baby or finally getting to adopt a child. Then we were blindsided by a lost job opportunity, cancer diagnosis, loneliness, miscarriage, or failed adoption. The list could go on endlessly. When things don’t turn out as we anticipated, we feel disappointed with God and wonder, “Did I really hear from Him?”
The bigger question is, “How do I trust a God I don’t understand?” To trust God when we don’t understand, we have to get brutally honest with our feelings. We can’t deny or numb feelings of disappointment, hoping they’ll go away. Instead, we must authentically dump them at the feet of Jesus. Remember the story of Lazarus dying in John, Chapter 11. Mary and Martha, Lazarus’s sisters, felt devastated and disappointed Jesus hadn’t shown up in time. Both women said to Him, “If only you had been here.” They were honest about their feelings. Jesus felt deep empathy for and wept with them. No judgment. Just entering into their sorrow, even though moments later He knew He would raise Lazarus from the dead.
When we feel disappointed with God’s response, we must cling to what we know about His character. Returning to what we know to be true will help settle our souls. If we always understood God, He wouldn’t be God. He would be our equal. Instead, He is vastly beyond our imagination. Yet, according to His Word, He is good. He loves us. He is faithful and He will do what’s best for us.
The truth is. our trust muscles are strengthened as we go through life’s disappointments. If we continue to authentically bring our feelings before God and cling to what we know to be true about His character, our faith will grow stronger even in suffering. As we lean into Jesus, He will whisper reassurance to our broken hearts, “You don’t understand right now, but you will someday. Trust me.”
Intersecting Faith and Life
As you reflect on your life so far, what situations have arisen to made it difficult for you to trust God? What do you feel God is inviting You to do in this season to bolster your faith?
Further Reading:
- Psalm 27:13 – “I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.”
- Isaiah 55:8 – “For my thoughts are not your thoughts; neither are your ways my ways declares the LORD.”
- Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
- 2 Corinthians 4:16- 18 – “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
- 1 Peter 5:1 - “And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.”
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Fizkes
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