Looking for Reasons

“I think it must hurt the tender love of our Father when we press for reasons for His dealings with us, as though He were not Love, as though not He but another chose our inheritance for us, and as though what He chose to allow could be less than the very best and dearest that Love Eternal had to give….”

Amy Carmichael, Rose From Brier

We are creatures that search for meaning.

We like to understand the reasons why things happen, how things work, and what the purpose is in our circumstances.

As individuals, we try to understand where our lives are leading, what the outcome of our choices will be, and how we will know when we have arrived at where we are supposed to be.

As a society, we strive to understand the nature of cultural changes, the trajectory of where we are heading, and we seek to anticipate what the future will contain.

This quest for knowledge has led to discoveries and breakthroughs. It has provided solutions to problems that long plagued the human race. It has brought individuals clarity in regards to how they should invest their lives.

But it has also caused turmoil. As we have searched for answers, sometimes God’s children neglect to consider that they already have the greatest Answer. The One who holds the Earth together is their Father and Lord (Col. 1:17). Even when we can’t make sense of our circumstances, we can trust in Him.

Nothing happens in our lives that He does not allow. Nothing is outside of His perspective or control. And He desires the best for us – not just for this life, but for eternity (Rom. 8:28).

So instead of pressing Him for answers, may we press to trust Him more. Instead of relying on our ability to make sense of things, may we depend on the knowledge of His love. May we seek Him first and foremost, knowing that as we do so, “all these things will be added” unto us (Mt. 6:33).