Trusting God When You Don't Understand

Many of us at one time or another have asked God, “Why is this happening?” or “When are things going to change?” If you’re like me, you’ve also said, “God, this isn’t fair!” a few times. When things happen that we don’t understand, that’s when our trust is put to the test.

Years ago, when I was first preparing for the ministry, I believed God spoke to my heart to quit my job so I could spend more time studying. Dave and I then went through six years that were lean financially. I thought that because I had made a huge sacrifice to quit my job in order to study God’s Word, blessings would come pouring in. But we had fewer financial resources than ever. It was a very confusing and difficult time for me. When we do what is right and don’t get what we think is a “right” result, we can become extremely frustrated.

The six financially difficult years for Dave and me were definitely a test. Would I be willing to serve God even if it meant doing without many things I was accustomed to having? Would I be jealous of others? Would I trust Him no matter what? God confronted me with these questions and many others like them.

God did take care of us, and somehow each month we were able to pay our bills. Eventually, our financial test came to an end, but while I was going through our six lean years, I had no understanding of why they were important. But as I look back on them, I now know I was learning to trust God when I didn’t understand, and the experience helped me learn to trust Him for the finances we now need to operate the ministry we have.

There is no need for faith if we always understand what happens in our lives. As long as we are in relationship with God, we will have some unanswered questions. According to 1 Corinthians 13:9, we know “in part,” but we don’t know everything.

God’s ways and thoughts are higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8-9). They are not only higher than ours, but they are better than ours. We may not always understand God’s ways, but the way He does things is always much, much better than the way we would do them. Occasionally, I try to give God advice about what He could do to help my situation, but it is a good thing He doesn’t listen to me!

Why do we have such a desire to understand what is going on in our lives? Why do we obsess about the future? I think it’s because we like to be in control. We want things to turn out a certain way, and we want to know if they will or not. Most of the time, we don’t seek to understand the good things that happen to us. We simply receive them joyfully. But when something we consider to be “bad” happens, we want to know why.

For years, I couldn’t be peaceful until I thought I had figured out what was going on in my life. Even when I thought I had it all figured out, I usually turned out to be wrong. I am happy to be able to say that now I can have peace even if I don’t know the “why” behind everything that happens.

Right now, you may be experiencing things that have you asking, “Why?” or, “Where is God in all of this?” But even though He may feel distant, He is with you, and you can trust that He will turn your hard times into something valuable. If you don’t give up, each situation you go through will give you experience and help you build your faith and trust in God.

Adapted from the book The Blessed in the Mess by Joyce Meyer. Copyright 2023 by Joyce Meyer. Published by Hachette Book Group, Inc. All rights reserved.