Faith and Understanding

There are two different responses to what we experience in life that may be frustrating, confusing, or unexpected.
We can simply trust God,
or try to understand why He is doing (or allowing--there is a BIG difference!) certain things in our life.

Which one is more honoring to Him?

Our God is a big God.  It is simply impossible to fully understand Him.

If we spend all our energies in the quest to understand all the whys in our life, we won't have energy for doing anything else...

like putting our trust in Him.

We can't understand God.  We shouldn't expect to.  However, that doesn't negate the fact that we are required to trust Him unconditionally.


God doesn't ask us to understand everything that happens in our lives.  He doesn't ask us to understand Him.  There are things about God that are too wonderful for us to know...too big and awesome for our human minds to comprehend.

And that's okay.

"Then Job replied to the Lord: 'I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted....Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know...." -Job 42:1-2, 3b

This doesn't mean that God will not sometimes allow us to understand His purposes.
But when we do understand, it is not by our own wisdom, but by His.

"For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding." -Colossians 1:9

Understanding is an act of the mind.  Faith is an act of the heart, a gift God that is ours by the power of the Holy Spirit.

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." -Hebrews 11:1

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast." -Ephesians 2:9 

Both understanding of God and His ways, and faith in Him, are gifts that God gives us freely.
It is good to be able to understand.
It is essential that we have faith.
Faith in the grace of Jesus Christ, in His redemption for us on the cross, is what saves us.

The next time that something frustrating, confusing, or difficult comes our way,
how will we respond?
Will we seek to understand
or thank God for the gift of faith, that allows us to trust even those things "we do not see"?

Perhaps in His wisdom, God will allow us both faith and understanding...
but we can trust that He will do what He knows is best.

Inspired by this post by my dear friend Sara (and the discussion we had about it).

Linking up today with these lovely women:
New Life Steward; Upward Not Inward; Exceptionalistic; Deep Roots at Home; Raising Homemakers; A Wise Woman Builds Her Home; Women Living Well; The Fontenot Four