Good morning & happy Monday!
“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.”
– Isaiah 55:9, NLT
My friends, my head is spinning. As I type this email, I’m on an airplane returning from visiting a family member who has a terminal cancer diagnosis. My brother-in-law in Oregon has only months, maybe less to live so my wife and I flew across the country to spend a few precious days with him and his family.
I like to be in control. I like to have things make sense. I like to have an action plan to address whatever situation I’m facing. I’m a man of action, give me a problem and I will try to find a solution.
This is a situation where I have no control, it makes no sense to me, and there is no action plan that will change the end result. Barring a miracle, the only solution here is the end of his life here on earth.
What are we supposed to do in such situations?
As I looked into the eyes of a dying man there are so many questions that I don’t have answers to.
The more I wrestle with these questions the more I come to two important conclusions:
- I don’t think I will ever understand this (and many other mysteries) on this side of eternity … and maybe that’s okay.
- I have to trust the Lord even when I don’t understand him or what he is doing … this can be way easier said than done.
Trust. How can such a simple 5-letter word be so challenging?
Proverbs 3:5 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.”
I’m gonna level with you here, I wish that passage did not say that. I wish it said something like, “Jonathan’s understanding is impeccable, and God will allow him control over every aspect of his life.” I’ve read the Bible cover to cover 4 times, and I’ve never found a passage even close to that 😉
So, I have to decide how I respond when my understanding is exceptionally limited on why my 54-year-old healthy brother-in-law is on his deathbed with an inoperable brain tumor.
I most certainly have the opportunity to choose a different response than trust. I can choose bitterness, resentment, anger, or confusion. But as I pray through this situation, I keep finding that trust is the only appropriate response.
I don’t pretend to understand what God is doing here, but I can choose to trust that his ways and thoughts are far superior to mine (Isaiah 55 passage above).
I know many of you have dealt with painful situations that you can’t fully understand as well. May I use this morning’s memo to offer hope and encouragement to trust in the Lord.
No matter what you are going through God’s love and grace is bigger! I find tremendous comfort in this.
I know we are all on different faith-journeys and some of us have been unwillingly put in situations we would not wish on our worst enemy, but I’ve found in my life the more I trust the Lord the more His peace covers me.
I’m coming to the conclusion that it’s not a matter of if the storm comes, it’s a matter of how we respond to the storm when it arrives. My prayer is that I respond with trust. That is my prayer for you as well when the storms of life arrive.
We have very little control over so much of life, but we can choose faith and trust no matter what happens. It is my firm belief that God is bigger than any problem we will ever face in our lives. I can rest in that truth no matter how raging the storm is.
Thank you for allowing me to work this through in my mind with today’s memo … it took a number of drafts to get this to a place where it made sense (not sure if it fully makes sense now, but such is life I suppose 😉).
Side note: we open our weekly team meeting on Monday mornings praying for our clients. If you are going through a storm and would like us to pray for you, please just reply to this email and we will gladly petition your request to the Lord.
Please never hesitate to reach out any way we can support you along your journey.
Make it a great week ahead!