We cannot trust God to make sense. Have you ever thought about that? I have. Many times. When I was a little girl, I remember being very angry with God. I remember wondering in my head, "Why would a good God let bad things happen?" I've known many good people who have had horrible tragedies befall them. And God stood by and let it happen. Good women have been raped - women who love the Lord and want to do what's right have been kidnapped and viciously stripped of their purity (and I'm not referring to women in Africa.... I'm referring to women in the US who live in nice neighborhoods); good men have been sent to war and captured and tortured; babies have been born dead to good parents and babies have died in their sleep while their good parents were home; innocent children have been molested and still those children go on trying to be good. The stories go on of bad things happening to good people.....
We cannot trust God to make sense. Because in our human frailty and fallenness we will never be able to make sense of what an infinite, sovereign Lord ordains.
Interestingly, in studying Biblical texts and the historical accounts we find that the words of the holy scriptures do not contradict themselves. The Bible has outlasted any other historical document as being the most accurate, the most read, and the most printed. It is fully true. And it tells us about God. So it can be trusted to be an honest description of God's character.
And this is what it says in the book of Psalms (these things are started throughout the scriptures, but I have posted just one passage for your enlightenment)......
Psalm 111
The Lord Praised for His Goodness.
I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart,
In the company of the upright and in the assembly.2 Great are the works of the Lord;
They are [c] studied by all who delight in them.
3 [d] Splendid and majestic is His work,
And His righteousness endures forever.
4 He has made His [e]wonders [f]to be remembered;
The Lord is gracious and compassionate.
5 He has given [g]food to those who [h]fear Him;
He will remember His covenant forever.
6 He has made known to His people the power of His works,
In giving them the heritage of the nations.
7 The works of His hands are [i] truth and justice;
All His precepts are [j]sure.
8 They are upheld forever and ever;
They are performed in [k] truth and uprightness.
9 He has sent redemption to His people;
He has [l]ordained His covenant forever;
Holy and [m]awesome is His name.
10 The [n] fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
A good understanding have all those who [o]do His commandments;
His praise endures forever.
All His precepts are [j]sure.
8 They are upheld forever and ever;
They are performed in [k] truth and uprightness.
9 He has sent redemption to His people;
He has [l]ordained His covenant forever;
Holy and [m]awesome is His name.
10 The [n] fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
A good understanding have all those who [o]do His commandments;
His praise endures forever.
Notice the characteristics of God in bold. His attributes endure forever. He does what is right. He is what is right. He knows what is right for the people that He created. He is trustworthy.
On what basis can we claim that He is trustworthy? The basis of absolute truth: that He is who He says He is and that He will never change. Can we claim that He is trustworthy based on our own understanding of what He does? No. We will fail to trust Him if we base our faith on our own will.
I thought I would post these thoughts I have been grappling with today on our Manly&Babe blog, because these thoughts effect how I view our future. And they are thoughts and beliefs that Manly and I share. We are trusting the Lord with our lives, with our future marriage, with our future family. Come what may. The vows we will make on October 27th will bind us to one another through rain or shine. Our hope is in Him. And we are encouraged by stories of faith, such as by Ian & Larissa Murphy.
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