“The Lord directs our steps, so why try to understand everything along the way?” Proverbs 20:24 NLT
This is one of my favorite verses in the Bible. It’s my, “let yourself off the hook” verse. It’s right here in black and white. God is the only one that knows all, I never was meant too and I never will, so why waste time trying?
We all have people in our life who think they know everything. People who think they have an answer for whatever situation you happen to be dealing with at the time. Those people test my patience more than any others. Sometimes I wonder if they know how ridiculous they sound? Really, you have an answer for everything? Then why do young children get cancer? Why do loved ones die unexpectedly? Why does life hurt so much? Why is it so hard? I’d love the answers to those questions from the ones who think they know it all.
Truth is, they don’t have the answers to those questions anymore than I do. But I know the one who does. Even though He doesn’t give me the answers to some of the tough questions in life, I trust Him. I trust that even though it makes no sense from my earthly view, it makes complete sense from His heavenly view. And there is more about life on earth that doesn’t make sense to me than does.
I’ve mentioned Corrie Ten Boom, a hero of the faith to me. Survivor of the holocaust, having lost her sister and dad in a Concentration camp. She was known for working on embroidery as she spoke to audiences. She would hold up the back of the piece she was working on, there were threads of all different colors blurred together and hanging from it. You couldn’t tell what the picture on the other side was. She would ask her audiences if God granted what we asked for in prayer as she held it up for them to see. “Not always.” she said. “Sometimes He says no. That is because God knows what we do not know.” Then she would turn the piece over to show the beautiful picture on the other side, the right side. The side with a view from heaven.
Our world may make no sense to us at all, but one day when we enter the pearly gates, we’ll understand. We’ll be able to see it from a different perspective. The tangle of threads will come together to form a beautiful picture. We’ll finally be able to say, “That’s what You were doing God. I had no idea.” Because from this side of heaven, we don’t know. But one day, we will. We’ll be grateful we put our trust in the One who does know. We’ll be grateful He was the One directing our steps, even if we didn’t understand where they were taking us. One day, we’ll know.
