For thought and meditation

[rl69]

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways," says the Lord. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts."—Isaiah 55:8–9 (http://harvest.us3.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=4f108f827aed8d503b5fca9fa&id=4994615033&e=3dd732485b)When calamity befell Job, he asked God why many times. There is nothing wrong with asking God why, as long as we don't feel that He somehow owes us an answer. I think if God actually were to give us the answer, we wouldn't be satisfied anyway.

What if you said, "Lord, why did this happen?" and God said, "I'm going to tell you right now. Are you ready? Sit down. Here's why. . . ." Do you think that would really satisfy you? I don't think it would. If the Lord told you why things happened the way they did, would it ease your pain or heal your broken heart? I don't think so. I think it would raise more questions.

When her brother, Lazarus, died, Martha cried out to Jesus. Unfair. Foul. Not right. Instead of correcting her, Jesus tried to give her an eternal perspective: "Your brother will rise again" (John 11:23 (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/x-apple-data-detectors://7)).

Martha said, in effect, "Yeah, I know—in the resurrection on the last day."
But Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?" (verses 25–26).

In other words, "No, Martha, you are missing the point. I am the resurrection and the life. . . ."

Here is what Martha didn't know. Jesus was about to raise her brother from the dead. She wanted a healing; He wanted a resurrection. God was going to do abundantly above and beyond that which she could ask or think.

God says, "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways" (Isaiah 55:8). We live on promises, not on explanations. We shouldn't spend too much time asking why

[Pine Baron]

Thank you rl. "We live on promises, not on explanations". Very powerful.

[GhostHawk]

Good point. I think it is in our nature to question. To doubt. It is easy to question. It is hard to accept that what is is, and is for a reason we may never know.

[claude]

He does explain much to us though, if one sits down with His letter to us and asks for meaning, He is there with so many answers. When we can set our carnal little selves aside, and peer into the word with our spiritual self, much of the mystery is unveiled.

[Blackwater]

Amen. The most edifying part to me is "We live on promises, not on explanations. We shouldn't spend too much time asking why." Being one who from my earliest memories, was always asking "Why?", it's been both my strength and my weakness, depending on how I used that natural inquisitiveness. Questioning God is like questioning the Sphinx sometimes. Sometimes, silence is the best answer God CAN give us because we think so differently, and have such different motivations than He does. But as Claude says, He gives us all the answers we need, if we'll just do our due diligence and search for them, AND do it with a pure heart, and not just a search for excuses why we ought to have our way instead of His. It's always a very humbling thing to deal with God, and when it's not, it's us who's off base. Never God.

[johnson1942]

their is only one time in a born again christian life that they go out on blind faith. that is when they step out and say to God, i accept your Son as my savior. a spiritual transformation takes place and from then on it is living faith and it is not like talking to a sandstone object. you talk, he listens, he talks, you listen. the key is a positive out come prayer. not one that rambles and says much with out asking for specific positive out comes. sealed of course in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. agin those seeking and those that believe, our God is not like talking to a stone object. i could fill a book on answered prayer in my life and many many others. some prefer to struggle and enjoy the struggle and others prefer to go forward and get things done. faith is no good unless used and gone forward with , other wise is is like a bullet that never goes off if not used.

[Preacher Jim]

RL you made me think about your thread and i see my answer already posted. great verse and thought provoking.

[Boaz]

Good post rl69 !