If you peeked inside my prayer journal, you’d notice that the last few months have been filled with many questions, doubts, and worries over things out of my control and beyond my understanding. In a turned-upside down life, it’s hard to avoid the why behind the what. And so, instead of pretending the question doesn’t nag me constantly, I come right out and state it plainly.
Why God?
Yes, why, God. If my teenage daughter can confess that she’s wondering about the why, than why should I.
Why did He have us move?
Why was I writing a book on a fast-track schedule in the middle of such chaos?
Why was I given the conference of my dreams to run with my dearly loved sisters, only to be moved 300 miles away?
Why did this all happen in the days following my nephews birth?
Why?
Avoid asking God the “why” question is like ignoring the white elephant in the room. It’s there. Unavoidable. Uncomfortable. Painful at times. So rather than squeezing around the uncomfortable unknowing, I pursue God hard for answers. Sometimes, He’s gracious enough to give me a clue. Other times, I’m left with deafening silence.
[Tweet “His silence is better than my avoidance of seeking Him.”]
I seek God, and ask Him about these tough things, not from a place of demanding that I understand, but out of obedience to do as He says.
Matthew 7:7-8 NIV
“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.”
I think we often look at this passage from the perspective of asking and seeking in advance of what is too happen, like writing out a list for Christmas and hoping that Santa will deliver. But from this vantage point in life, I ask God for less and yield to Him more. I don’t want my will, I want His. I know it is better. And yet, it’s in the post-math of so many situations that I’m left with wonder. And so, that’s where I find myself seeking God to show me how His way is better than what I had in mind.
Yes, God’s ways are different than our ways, and as author Jen Wilkin writes in her new book, that’s a good thing. In None Like Him: 10 Ways God is Different from Us (and Why that’s a Good Thing), Jen tackled the topic of God’s sovereignty from three distinct vantage points:
- as a follower of Christ, passionate about living out His word
- as a student of the Word, steeped in the wisdom and teaching of scholars
- as a bible teacher, skilled in communicating the Truth of God in a way that is relevant to life today
Jen carefully considers the attributes of God through ten chapters devoted to understanding how He is self-existent, self-sufficient, eternal, immutable, omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent, sovereign, infinite, and incomprehensible. Yes, this book is packed full of truth that ought to be digested slowly and purposefully as we embrace Wilkin’s invitation to “celebrate the freedom that comes when we rest in letting God be God.”
So as I seek hard after God to understand the why behind the what of my life, I am challenged do so while embracing this powerful word from Jennifer:
[Tweet “He measures our very day in handbreadths, lovingly and with intent.@jenniferwilkin”]
And all that he measures is perfect in measurement. All that he binds is perfectly boundaried. Yet he himself is infinitely details–limitless, measureless, unbounded. -Jen Wilkin, None Like Him (p. 20)
No matter where you are in your faith, I highly recommend diving into None Like Him. You stand nothing to lose and everything to gain, as you come into a broader understanding of who God is and why His uniqueness is a good thing.
Learn more about Jen Wilkin at her website. Grab None Like Him wherever books are sold.
Enter the Giveaway
Would you like to win a copy of None Like Him.! Leave a comment below sharing about which attributed of God you’d like to know more about. One winner (US ONLY), will be drawn on May 15th.
*This book was provided for review by the publishers.
I would like to know more about God as a student
I would definitely would like to know more about God from the vantage point of a follower of Christ. I feel like I “slip up” so often!
I would love to rest in the fact that He is omniscient… That still blows my mind!