WISDOM FOR LIVING DAILY DEVOTIONAL
MARCH 05, 2023
TOPIC: WE CAN NEVER COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND WHAT GOD IS DOING
BY T. O. BANSO
âGod has given them a desire to know the future. He does everything just right and on time, but people can never completely understand what he is doingâ (Ecclesiastes 3:11 New Century Version).
Isaiah 40:28 says, âDo you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathomâ (New International Version). Note the last part of this scripture: his understanding no one can fathom. In other words, âNo one can measure the depths of his understandingâ (New Living Translation). It also means âhis wisdom cannot be measuredâ (Contemporary English Version).
God operates far above human knowledge or understanding. As Elihu, one of Jobâs friends said, God is beyond our understanding (Job 36:26). Therefore, many times, we donât understand what He is doing. Even when we think we do, we soon find out that we can never completely understand Him. He says in Isaiah 55:8-9, ââFor my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,â declares the Lord. âAs the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughtsââ (New International Version).
No one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 2:11b). We can only know what He reveals to us. Deuteronomy 29:29 says the secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law. As the Apostle Paul said, âOur knowledge is incomplete and our ability to speak what God has revealed is incomplete. But when what is complete comes, then what is incomplete will no longer be usedâ (1 Corinthians 13:9-10 GOD’S WORD Â Translation).
Paul also said in Romans 11:33-34, âOh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgment and his paths beyond tracing out! Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?â (New International Version). Nobody.
No one can fathom or understand Godâs understanding. Eliphaz the Temanite, one of Jobâs friends, said God performed wonders that could not be fathomed; miracles that could not be counted (Job 5:9). Another friend of Job, Zophar the Naamathite, asked, âCan you search out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limits of the Almighty?â (Job 11:7 New King James Version). According to Paul, none of the rulers of this age understood the secret wisdom of God; otherwise, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory (1 Corinthians 2:8).
Unknown to Satan and his human agents, the crucifixion of Jesus would bring salvation to humankind. Through Christâs death, Satan was defeated. We cannot completely understand what God is doing. Colossians 2:13-15 says, âWhen you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the crossâ (New International Version).
Faith in God does not mean that we must understand what God is doing or saying. It simply means believing that God will do what He says He will do even when we donât understand Him. It means holding God by His word. God does some things in our lives that we donât understand and can never completely understand. Many times, God doesnât make sense.
God could tell you something and you donât see it happening soon. Rather, you see the exact opposite happening. Then you begin to wonder if you heard God or the devil spoke to you. Yet, God is working behind the scenes but you canât see Him. We can never completely understand Him.
Through the Prophet Samuel, God anointed David as king but he never became king in Samuelâs lifetime. King Saul continued to reign (1 Samuel 25:1; 28:3). It appeared that life became worse for David after he was anointed! He had no peace of mind and kept running from Saul who saw him as a threat and was determined to kill him. You would have thought that David would ascend the throne of Israel as king the next day he was anointed. No.
He had to wait for many years while the man God said he had rejected continued on the throne as king. If God had rejected Saul why was he still ruling the people? David didnât become king until after Saulâs death. Even then, he was first king over the house of Judah, his tribe, for seven years (or seven years and six months) and later king over the entire nation of Israel. In all, he reigned for forty years (2 Samuel 2:11; 2 Samuel 5:4-5; 1 Chronicles 29:26-27). But Samuel never told him his journey to the throne would be that rough. We can never completely understand God.
If you find yourself in a situation similar to that of David, you must trust God that He knows what He is doing even when you donât and can never completely understand. When your road is rough, donât doubt Him and His promises. When you are in darkness, trust in Him. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all (Psalm 34:19). You must believe the Word of God and acknowledge that He has your best interest at heart. Hebrews 6:12 says that we should not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. God says the word that goes out from my mouth shall not return to Him empty but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it (Isaiah 55:11).
Talking about human beings, Ecclesiastes 3:11 says, âGod has given them a desire to know the future. He does everything just right and on time, but people can never completely understand what he is doingâ (New Century Version). Note the phrase âbut people can never completely understand what he is doing.â When you think God is doing nothing about your case or He has not heard your prayers, you may be wrong. He may have set in motion the process for the manifestation of the answer and a change of your story. But here you are worrying or lamenting.
Philippians 4:6 says you should be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. We can never completely understand what God is doing. When Peter asked Jesus if He was going to wash his feet, He answered Peter, âYou do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understandâ (John 13:7 New International Version). We shall understand later some things God is doing now. But only in eternity shall we understand other things.
Israel thought that a wild animal had killed Joseph, as his other sons had made him believe. At the time another son, Simeon, was held back in Egypt, and his youngest son, Benjamin, was to be taken to Egypt as proof that they were not spies, Israel didnât know that Joseph was not dead and God was working everything together for his good! He didnât know that God was about to restore to him the joy he had lost for years. He didnât know that God had made his son Prime Minister in Egypt. But seeing himself as a victim, he said, âAnd Jacob their father said to them, âYou have bereaved me: Joseph is no more, Simeon is no more, and you want to take Benjamin. All these things are against meââ (Genesis 42:36 New King James Version). He didnât understand what God was doing.
In verse 38, he said, âMy son shall not go down with you, for his brother is dead, and he is left alone. If any calamity should befall him along the way in which you go, then you would bring down my gray hair with sorrow to the graveâ (New King James Version). Later, he reluctantly released Benjamin to go with his brothers to Egypt. When they returned, they didnât bring bad news but good news: Joseph was still alive and was second-in-command to Pharaoh in Egypt. Israel said, âIt is enough. Joseph my son is still alive. I will go and see him before I dieâ(Genesis 45:28 New King James Version).
We can never completely understand what God is doing; we can only trust in Him. Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths (Proverbs 3:5-6). We can never completely understand Him. But we must know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).
TAKE ACTION!
If you are not born again, you need to give your life to Jesus now. I urge you to take the following steps: *Admit that you are a sinner and you cannot save yourself and repent of your sins. *Confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. *Renounce your past way of life â your relationship with the devil and his works. *Invite Jesus into your life. *As a mark of seriousness to mature in the faith, start attending a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church. There they will teach you how to grow in the Kingdom of God.
Kindly say this prayer now: O Lord God, I come unto You today. I know I am a sinner and I cannot save myself. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me and God raised Him on the third day. I repent of my sins and confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I surrender my life to Jesus now and invite Him into my heart. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank You, Jesus, for saving me and making me a child of God.
I believe you have said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! You will need to join a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church in your area where they will teach you how to live your new life in Christ Jesus. I pray that you flourish like a palm tree and grow like a cedar of Lebanon. May you grow into Christ in all things and become all God wants you to be. I will be glad to hear from you. The Lord be with you.
PRAYER POINTS: Holy Spirit, help me to continue to put my faith in God even when I donât understand Him and can never completely understand what He is doing. I shall obey the Word of God and His instructions even when they donât make sense. I shall trust in the Lord with all my heart, and not lean on my understanding but acknowledge Him in all my ways.
(For over 900 in-depth and powerful messages by T. O. Banso, visit www.cedarministry.org).
T. O. Banso is the President of Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria.
Phone No: +2348155744752, +2348033113523
WhatsApp No: +2349081295947
Email: cedarministryintl@yahoo.com,
cedarministryng@gmail.com
Website: www.cedarministry.org
  
  
  
  
