There’s so much I don’t understand. Why does God heal one and not the other? Why do godly parents have to endure the heartbreak of having prodigal children while those who barely taught faith at home end up with world shakers in the kingdom? Why do certain believers skate through life seemingly unscathed by hardship while others endure more than it seems one should bear?
Why did God so lavishly design the butterflyfish, knowing most would never see him let alone appreciate his intricate design? Why, since He created us to need Him and each other, do we continually try to make it on our own? And how is it that while others will walk away at the first glimpse of our humanity, God never tires of loving us in a way that transforms us from the inside out?
There’s a mystery to this God that we serve. But would you want to entrust your life and your eternity to a God you could explain away? Are you okay with not having all of your questions answered this side of heaven?
Recently on Susie Larson Live, I spoke with my friend, Dr. Alicia Britt Chole, about her brilliant book, “40 Days of Decrease: A Different Kind of Hunger, A Different Kind of Fast.” She challenges us to fast from the idea of tidy faith. She writes:
“Jesus is more than we thought, hoped, or imagined. His wildness is a source of wonder, not worry. His righteousness is deeper than the oceans. His goodness is higher than the heavens. His faithfulness exceeds our comprehension. So what does that make us? Loved. Who are we? Christ’s beloved. We are loved when making bold proclamations near cool waters under sunny skies. We are loved when asking sincere questions in dark cells and darker times.”
Just because God’s ways are far beyond our understanding doesn’t mean we won’t wrestle, have questions, and struggle with doubts. Jesus welcomes those. He prefers them over a tidy faith that has an answer for everything (answers that often do more harm than good).
Want to experience God freshly and powerfully? Ask Him to show you where and how you’ve limited Him. Invite Him to dismantle your tidy faith and give you the kind of faith that moves mountains, binds up the brokenhearted, and parts waters, all for the sake of His love.
And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.
No more tidy faith
