Monday, June 27, 2022

Why or Who? What a difference one letter makes!

 

What a Difference One Letter Makes!

The other day a friend of mine was sharing with me a series of difficult challenges another friend was going through.  It seemed to her that her friend had already been through enough and she didn’t understand why God would allow more misery to be heaped on this other person.   As humans, we often want to understand the reason behind events to try and make sense of them.  We seek simple answers to infinitely complex questions. But this is often a fool’s errand and leaves us twisting in the wind spiritually because the reality is we frequently will never know Why.  And to stay stuck on having to know why moves us further away from, not closer to, Who is in control, the Lord God.  So, while it is natural to want to know “Why?”, the better question is always, “Who?”.  One little letter makes all the difference.

 

Proverbs 3:5 - “Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding”

 

Things to think about:

·       Asking Why is one of the most human things we can do

o   Even Jesus asked, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

o   Are you going through a challenging time when you really want to ask Why?

·       God asks us to trust Him, not to understand Him.

o   Proverbs 3:5 – “Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding”

§  Why do you think God places a higher priority on trust versus understanding?

·       Even if we are bold enough to demand to know why, can we really understand anyway?

o   Isaiah 55:8-9 - “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts.

o   Job 40:1-2 - The Lord said to Job: “Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct Him? Let him who accuses God answer Him!”

·       Trusting in Who and not worrying about the Why is another way of saying Faith

o   Hebrews 11:11 – “And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered Him faithful who had made the promise.”

·       Trusting in Who and not worrying about the Why leads to greater obedience

o   God wants us to trust Him like a child trusts their parent. 

o   Hebrews 11:6 - And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that He exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

·       Letting go of the need to understand Why leads to a happier life

o   Proverbs 3:6 – “acknowledge Him in all your ways and He will make your paths straight”

o   In what ways do we open ourselves up to more peace when we stop asking Why?

§  Worry, fear, confusion, anger are just a few that come to mind

·       The next time you are tempted to ask Why, get out your mental pencil and erase the Y with and replace it with an O!

o   Psalm 77:13-14 - What god is as great as our God? You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples.  

 


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