WHEN WE DON’T KNOW WHY

Psalm 37:5-6 NLT Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you.

Have you ever been asked a question and as you scratched your head you’ve had to admit, “I don’t know”. There is so much we don’t know in this life even if we have a degree, or we’ve travelled the world, or had multiple experiences, there will always be things we don’t know!😊

There will come a time in all our lives when things happen, either to us, or to others around us, and we won’t know why. We’ve probably all asked the Lord the age old question “Why?” We’ve been confused, frustrated or just worn out trying to figure it out. But a better question would be  “How will I react, not having the reason, if I never know why?” 

One of the greatest tests of our faith is when we don’t know why, and we have a choice to make. If we’re wise we’ll decide to say, “I’m going to trust You Lord because you know why and You are a good God and I don’t need to know why. I trust you Lord because You are righteous and fair and You loved us enough to go to the cross and you’ve promised not to withhold anything good from us so I’m going to trust You, no matter what. Till I breathe my last breath I’m going to trust You, even though I don’t know why things are the way they are, or why they haven’t resolved the way I wanted. I trust You.”

When we do that, the enemy is defeated and he has no power over us. Scripture reminds us what will happen when we choose to trust God. Isaiah 26:3 NIV You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.  Jeremiah 17:7 NIV But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.

It doesn’t say we’ll be blessed when we shake our fist at God and wail and moan! It says we’ll stay in peace and be blessed and be shown what to do next, when we trust Him.😊

So this is a gentle nudge, next time we want to ask “Why?”, to decide to simply tell God we’re going to trust Him, no matter what, even though we never know why. In Jesus name. Amen.

Have a blessed weekend.x

MINDFUL OF THE RIGHT THINGS

Nehemiah 9:17 (NKJV) They refused to obey, And they were not mindful of Your wonders That You did among them. (NIV) They became stiff-necked and in their rebellion appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery. But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Therefore you did not desert them,

I wonder what your mind is full of at the minute? Perhaps it’s full of Sport, or full of everything you have to cram into your day? Maybe it’s full of confusion or worry, or you’re angry with a situation or even angry with God? Or maybe your mind is full of the holidays to come and all your lovely plans; full of gratefulness for being alive and mindful you’re loved by God?

Whatever it is our mind is full of, God wants it to be full of acknowledging His presence in our lives, of the goodness and kindness He has poured out on us, of the wonders of His world around us, full of the knowledge that He will never forsake us, and of His loving care.

When our minds are full of all the right things we have peace in our spirit, we have the deep down joy that comes from knowing who we are in Christ. We can remember we’re beloved and accepted and approved by God because of Jesus, that we have been given the name of Jesus, which is above every other name, and He has given us His authority to use it to bring down strongholds in our lives.

Society is big on ‘Mindfulness’ at the minute - it’s fashionable! But God’s mindfulness is not fashionable, it’s essential for our walk of faith in Christ. When we’re mindful of all the blessings of God, when we give thanks, when we rehearse His goodness in our lives, then our mindfulness will produce the fruit of peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.😊

God is reminding us to be mindful of Him today, so let’s ask for His help to clear our minds of the things that distract us and aren’t helpful, and instead let’s choose to fill our minds in the coming days with the goodness and kindness of our God, with the wonders of His grace, the amazing gift of His righteousness and who He has made us to be in Jesus.😊 Amen.

Photo by Léonard Cotte on Unsplash