You Can't Figure God Out

I got back from a two-week vacation three days ago, and already have regressed to frantic-and-frazzled mode. If whoever wrote "make time for God and He will make time for whatever else you need to do" intended it as a promise that your daily schedule will always fall neatly into place if you begin the day with a quiet time--all I can say is, I'm living proof that promise isn't from God. Clutter and interruptions are such a tenacious problem that I wonder if there's a demon specially trained in use of those weapons who's assigned to destroy my effectiveness. Regardless of the root cause, I've yet to see the miraculous relief of pressure others have reported on surrendering their schedules to the Lord's will.

"Life happens" even to the top pros at prayer, planning, and positive thinking; and anyone who doubts that is simply enjoying a long period of what we thoughtlessly call "luck." Then there are those who are going through the exact opposite and have reached the point of giving up hope it will ever end. "Lucky" or "unlucky," we all tend to assume that the way our lives have been for a while is the status quo. Be careful: God loves to shake up "normality" when we least expect it!

One thing God is not is "logical"--a good thing, too, or He might give us the eternal separation from Him that we deserve. But it's tough to appreciate that when all our logic says we deserve better than what we're getting--when we work hard and still can't make ends meet, when we take care of ourselves and still get sick, when we ask God what He would have us do and receive no discernible answer. There comes a point (often many times in one life) where all we can do is effectively throw up our hands, admit God knows best, and cast ourselves on His Word: "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you" (Heb. 13:5b).

God's Word also says, "Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!" (Rom. 11:33). How will we respond to these qualities: with annoyance--or adoration?

We can trace out the paths of the planets,
We can look into human genes,
We can study a thousand cultures
And discern what each custom means;
We can travel through deserts and oceans
And can find beyond any doubt
Many hundreds of laws for nature:
But we never will figure God out.

We may judge Him by our human logic,
Say we know what He plans to do,
But our Lord has no end of surprises,
And with Him every day is new.
Good behavior will never oblige Him,
And it does no one good to pout,
Nor to question a thing He is doing:
Logic just cannot figure Him out!

All we know is those things He has told us:
That He ever is kind and wise;
That He watches our days and our actions
And the things never seen by our eyes.
When your whole life seems hopeless, still trust Him;
He still knows what it's all about.
It's not knowledge, but faith, that will guide you
On the path our Lord has figured out!