Thinking in a Different Way

Do you ever find yourself wishing God would explain in detail why he does what he does or allows you to experience what you do? Thoughts like this tend to surface especially when we are suffering or going through severe trials. Yet God just expects us to trust him. While we might imagine and formulate a list of reasons why we think it’s happening more than likely none that make our list will be correct.  Such lists can in no way ascertain the larger purpose God might have for our experience. In the book “Truth Matters” the authors suggest we try looking at things differently.

Think of it this way:  A basketball coach could call a time-out for any number of reasons at any different point in a ball game.  He might see a flaw in the opponent’s defense, for example, that he thinks his team could exploit with a hastily designed play. He might want to stop a flurry of momentum or a hot hand by one of the opposing players.  He might use it to try icing a free-throw shooter.  He might use it to stop the clock near the end of the half or regulation.  He might use it to force an instant-replay review of a questionable call by the officials. That’s six different options right there. Easy. And they’re all determined not by fixed logarithms but by the flow of the game, the nature of the opponent, the time left on the shot clock or the game clock – any of these factors and many others could dictate his purpose in asking for a stoppage in play.  Plus it’s all dictated by the coach’s unique, personal knowledge of his players, his awareness of what each of them can do, what makes them perform best, what puts them in the best position to win the game. Why must God’s decisions be any different?

They continue by saying, “God is not bound by any list, nor is he under orders to treat every person or every problem in the same way.” That being said it leaves us to the element of trust—a belief that refuses to entertain any option other than the one of providential care. When you allow yourself to think of God as being a loving coach you know whatever the score might be He is calling every play in your life to assure the ultimate win!