Sometimes, life can hit you so hard that you may wonder if God exists. And if He does, is He truly in control as He says He is? All these questionings are a way of you telling God: “Lord, I need answers, and please speak because I’m about to drown any minute now.” Just to wake up the next morning and realize that God did not say anything, but you are still alive, looking at your circumstances. I have been there before, and this can be a little frustrating. Usually, that’s when we start taking things personally. Then the next set of questions that pop into our minds are: Did I do something wrong? Does God love me? Am I being condemned for doubting Him? And before you know it, you partner with the enemy dancing to a slow jam. It is so easy to get so caught up in what is around us that we fail to see that we are still breathing. The breath in our lungs is already an answer from God, which proves that He is for us and not against us. In His omniscience, God allows us to understand things we go through in life in bite-sized pieces for our benefit, and we can reflect on a few things that support that statement.
There is a difference between when we know something and when we don’t. We can all agree that there are things that we come to know, and we are so grateful for the knowledge that we wish we could have known it sooner. We even show a greater appreciation for such knowledge if our ignorance causes us to face some consequences that could have been avoided. On the other hand, we can also agree that there are things we come to know that we wish we had never known. Usually, this kind of information creates pressure in our lives, nightmares, regrets, resentment, bitterness, and the like. The problem is we cannot unknow what we know. Once we know something or are exposed to it, whether good or bad, we cannot remove the scene from our consciousness or pretend it’s not there because it is captured somewhere in our minds. If it’s bad, we can choose not to keep reliving the scene in our minds, learn to manage and overcome its triggers and side effects, and move forward appropriately. In that case, we can say that it is better not to know everything. Besides, only God knows everything, and we are grateful that He is an all-knowing God.
Another thing is that our lives were never meant to be lived all at once. For example, Galatians 5: 22-23 says: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” And another word for self-control is moderation. It is important to be moderate in everything we do, and since we are not in control of our lives, it is important to remember that God is. He designed our lives to be lived in bite-sized portions. Imagine if we were to experience everything we do or like to do just once, how much fun would that be? I’m sure there are things we would want to do, say, or plan better than the last time. Say if you like going to the beach, and when you went there for the first time, you had a sunburn. I’m sure you would want to go to the beach again, so you can enjoy it and be better prepared. And when it comes to our mistakes, we wouldn’t be able to make corrections, repent, forgive, and be forgiven. So, God knew if we were to experience everything all at once, we wouldn’t enjoy life as much. This is one of the reasons why God allows us to enjoy certain things daily, such as our daily bread (spiritual and physical), His mercy renewed every morning, protection, and daily access to His throne of grace through Christ, etc. He wants us to find joy in our journey, even if it is designed to increase our faith, which means we will not have all the answers. You might have heard this before: “If you knew everything, there wouldn’t be any need for faith,” although this is a true statement, but also, there are some things that if you knew about your life, you would not have kept the faith at all. For instance, if God were to show you or tell you all the behind the scenes, the kind of people the enemy influenced to come up against you and the number of attacks formed against you even while you sleep just so you wouldn’t be here today, you would probably tell God to spare you the details to keep your sanity.
God gives us understanding in bite-sized pieces because we live in a world that rejects Him, dominated by the ruler of darkness. Therefore, it will take some time to discover God’s hand in our lives. Our sinful nature cannot recognize and accept God from the get-go. God is never in a rush or a panicky state concerning our lives. He helps us to mature in faith, gain wisdom bit by bit, undo the lies of the enemy, and learn to trust Him. God would rather take years to build a history with us step by step than to rush with our lives, leaving us even more confused and troubled.
He wants us to understand clearly who He is and how much He loves us. And as we grow in Him and our lives unfold, we’ll start to understand the things happening in our lives, which will help us to be right where we need to be with Him according to His will.
Sometimes, there are seasons in our lives where we need to “slow down to catch up.” The slowing down to catch up process is when you face an unexpected chaotic situation in your life, or your life is simply upside down, and you have no explanations or answers. Instead of trying to catch up with the circumstances, you completely slow down to lock in with God by seeking His face. That doesn’t mean you stop working/living. It simply means all the extra time and energy you would use toward unnecessary things; you will now use it to zoom in on God. This process will make you feel like you are wasting your time, especially if you keep staring at your problems. However, there is always an “Aha!” moment in the presence of God if you stay there long enough, which makes it all worth it. And that’s when He’ll start showing you how to deal with the issues that stress you out. The point of the matter is, if I keep aiming at something and missing it each time, it would be wiser to use that time and energy to go to the One who can show me exactly where and how to aim at the target accurately. That doesn’t mean we go to God’s presence only to get answers and needs met, and then we’re out. For instance, if you needed something that your life depended on and found a place where you get unlimited access to that thing and even more treasures. Wouldn’t you want to go to that place again and again for more? It is the same thing in the presence of God. The Bible says in Psalm 34:8, “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him.” Therefore, do not think it strange if God allows you to understand the things you go through in life in bite-sized pieces. Count it all joy because it is a blessing. God knows what you can and cannot handle. He is concerned about you and seeks to protect your heart. Sometimes, He will let you know certain things when He knows you are ready to handle it. He knows which answers will be a blessing to you and those that will hinder you or cause you to stumble on your faith journey. Trust Him because He cares.
You Are Dearly Loved!
SCRIPTURES
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4: 6-7
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6
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