Isaiah 55:8-9 NIV

“8’For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are my way your ways,’ declares the LORD. 9‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts….’”

Why does God allow or not allow certain things? There are different reasons for different circumstances. One reason is that God will get more glory. I would like to give two examples. One example is found in the book of Genesis.

Sarah, the wife of Abraham, was kept from having children until she was 99 years old. Abraham was 100 when Sarah’s son was born. I specify that it was Sarah’s son, because he also had another son by another woman. God did not allow her to have children until then, so that He would get the glory from it.

There is also a story in the New Testament that is found in John 9:1-12. I will reference verses 1-3 for this devotion. It says this, “As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2His disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind’ 3‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned,’ said Jesus, ‘but this has happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him….’” (NIV)

There are different reasons why God allows some things and does not allow others. One of these reasons is that God may get the glory. God is ultimately worthy of all glory. He is the Creator of the universe. He is most holy. Just the fact that He is God makes Him worthy of glory. When something happens that God gets the glory for, we also benefit. We can end up growing closer to God, falling more in love with Him, end up being more in awe of who He is, and/or any other positive outcomes.

One thing to keep in mind is that we will not always understand God’s ways. There are times when we will wonder to ourselves, “God. Why x, y, z?” One thing to remember is that God’s ways are perfect. Whenever He makes a choice, you can rest assured that it is the right choice. We can trust that God will never do anything wrong, even if it seems that way to us. He sees everything and knows everything. He knows all possible outcomes, and makes the absolute best decision possible.

I encourage you, trust God today–even when you do not understand. We will never understand everything that God does or does not do. That is ok. We do not need to know everything. Whenever something happens or does not happen, and you wonder why, remind yourself of Isaiah 55:9, “9‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts….’” Trust that, just as Nebuchadnezzar attests to in the book of Daniel, “everything he does is right and all his ways are just.” (Daniel 4:37 NIV)

Dear God,

I ask that You help me to trust You in everything. Help me to be content when I do not understand. Remind me of Your words in Isaiah and Daniel. Make me more like Your Son, Jesus.

In Jesus Name I pray, amen.