Don't Try to Figure it Out

The other day, as I was running some errands by myself, I was listening to praise music on the car radio…I know…the radio…

At any rate, the latest Steven Curtis Chapman song came on and even though I’ve heard it plenty of times already, the first three lines jumped out at me in a special way: 

Lay your head down tonight

Take a rest from the fight

Don’t try to figure it out

I can honestly say that the song hit me as if I’ve never listened to it before…especially the third verse: “don’t try to figure it out.” That’s the line that truly, truly spoke to me. It was as if God Himself was saying it to me at that moment. “Don’t try to figure it out…” whatever “it” may be, sometimes we have to just let it be even if we don’t understand it.

How many things happen in our lives that have no explanation, senseless tragedies, inexplicable wrong turns, unpredictable realities, surprisingly bad decisions…we look at them after the fact and we go like, “where did that come from? And WHY?” 

Hmm…

We turn and toss; sleepless in our beds at night wondering why…why did that child who was raised in a Christian family all of a sudden walked away from the faith? Why did that other child who was seemingly walking firmly along God’s path unexpectedly falls into a life of sin? Why does the innocent girl get killed by a drunk driver while the driver lives? Why does a parent have to die alone, with a broken heart, waiting for a son that never arrives? Why does a daughter have to face life alone, without the love and support of those who were placed on earth to care for her? How is it that godly people face terrible tragedies while unbelievers seem to cruise through life? 

We can go on and on with questions of our very own, going mad, waiting for answers that will never come.

Some things are just not for us to find out on this side of heaven. Some things we just have to stop trying to figure out and move on. Of course, this is way easier said than done. The Word tells us that,

The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law. Deuteronomy 29: 29

God’s plans and ways are not ours. No human being can fully comprehend and express who God is. He, however, reveals clues about His nature in the unfolding of His plan. As Deuteronomy 29: 29 states, some things are just going to remain secret for they belong to Our Lord. On the other hand, God chooses to disclose what He decides is crucial for His children to know in order to grow closer to Him. And those things revealed are to be studied, known and followed as we walk along the path of this life.

At the appointed time, however, once we are finally home, He will make His secrets known,

For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open. Luke 8: 17

In the meantime…there is not much else for us to do than to seek Him first, accept what He chooses to reveal, let go of the things He decides to keep hidden and enjoy the amazing ride.

Linking with Mondays Musings