“ We are people who try to make sense of things on a planet where little seems to make sense . We take God at His word , knowing He promised to work everything together for good but we might go years , maybe the rest of our lives , without seeing irrefutable evidence of good coming from that horrible situation .”
Now That Faith Has Come — Beth Moore ,
Disposal
Within five months , things with the gentleman ended . The amazing guy that I didn ' t seek out but whom I prayerfully engaged with and kept accountable to people about was no longer a possibility . Six months later , I got the joyful news that I had been shortlisted for this amazing academic opportunity and after having received the unconditional offer for my program , one afternoon I opened an email from the scholarship agency that read :
“ Dear Ms . Smith ,
Thank you for …. Many applicants … We apologize … you did not …”
I laid numb before God . Unable to shed a tear . Too stunned to process anger . I knew God was in control . I just couldn ’ t understand why the disappointing news ? I hadn ’ t asked for either thing and was responding to what looked - seemed - was God . Furthermore , mixed in the confusion of the disappointment I was processing was the challenge of the very loud ‘ non-explanation
No Explanation
If you are anything like me it seems easier to process and trust God when in the “ disposing ” of something we can see the point of the loss . Whether it is “ The guy was a jerk ” “ The job would affect your family life ”. “ The house isn ’ t as good as the other house God has in store ”. The explanation or reason is what we want from God as a justification for Him doing away with what we desired , or obediently stepped out into .
We may be even spiritual enough to say we want to see how it made us stronger . As if God answers to us and is required to offer us an explanation to make the challenges palatable .
“ We are people who try to make sense of things on a planet where little seems to make sense . We take God at His Word , knowing He promised to work everything together for good but we might go years , maybe the rest of our lives , without seeing irrefutable evidence of good coming from that horrible situation .” - Beth Moore , Now That Faith Has Come
That may not be the point many of you were expecting . It wasn ’ t mine . But I am reminded frequently in this season of a song I heard as a little girl . This song reminds us of the truth that God is too wise to be mistaken and too good to be unkind . It then encourages us that when we don ' t understand , nor see His plan , we trust His heart . His faithful , loving heart with ways that are not our own . This is a lesson I have learned through tears , silence , prayer , and a continued surrender whenever my heart comes out of alignment with the trust and hope I am compelled to have in God .
Hope Again
It was during this time I learned the definition of hope from the Greek word Elpis . Hope is the expectation after the wreck of many hopes . When our heart threatens to fall apart in desperation or harden with disillusion , trust in God calls us to expect again because of the object of our hope and reason for our trust which is the character and nature of God .
I don ’ t purport to say these experiences I shared today compare in any way to the magnitude of loss that you have or continue to process . But I do know for certain that we can trust and hope , because “ God is holy , He cannot sin ”, [ which means ], He cannot sin against you , ever . So then , all of His promises , commands , and sovereign allowances [ even the ones without the answers ] are a means of joy .² So even when it doesn ’ t work out after you have checked all the boxes , I encourage you to trust His Heart .
[¹] Providence , John Piper | [²] Jacki Hill Perry , “ Holier Than Thou ”
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