While looking out the window from a plane on a recent trip to Seattle, I took pictures of the sunset and the clouds. It was pretty up there and it felt so serene.
This text from Job 36:26-30 comes to mind:
How great is God — beyond our understanding!
The number of His years is past finding out.
He draws up the drops of water,
which distill as rain to the streams;
The clouds pour down their moisture
and abundant showers fall on mankind.
Who can understand how He spreads out the clouds,
how He thunders from His pavilion?
See how He scatters His lightning about Him
bathing the depths of the sea.
Questioning God is not something that I do all the time.
When I do question, I don’t believe it shows mistrust but rather a relationship that we have built over time. God is beyond my understanding. Even the love He shows me is incomprehensible.
As a parent, I didn’t mind my children questioning me as long as it was for understanding and not irritation. Sometimes (for me) it was hard to tell the two apart. (laughing)
But God is different. When I question Him or get angry because I think He expects too much of me, He always shows me that I’m trying to get ahead of Him instead of following.
It’s hard to follow — at least for me. Especially when it seems like He’s an invisible “Person.” If it weren’t for the relationship we have established I would say that God is like the invisible man. But He is neither a man nor invisible in the way we understand it. He shows Himself quite visibly sometimes.
As part of my devotions, I keep a journal and make a list of people who I am praying for. Some are sick, others depressed, others need guidance, others — well, there are some I’m not sure what the problem is. Each name is written down and I pray specifically for what is going on in their lives (if I know what it is).
Yesterday I decided to review my list to see what the status was with each person. I dare say that about half of my prayers have been answered AND they have all been answered with a resounding YES. (Taking time to review life’s blessings is always a good thing.)
The problem sometimes is that God doesn’t always answer the way I think He should. Prayer for healing doesn’t always mean a person is healed, at least not in the way I think of healing. It may result in death. (I know, I know — now you don’t want me to pray for healing you might need.) But I need to keep the  big picture (if I can see it) in focus. Healing can be looked at in different ways. Death for one person might be better than endless pain. Agree? Disagree?
I can’t say that God has always answered in the way I wanted. Sometimes He tells me “no” and I go back to Him and want an explanation. Sometimes He gives it but other times He says “You need to trust me on this one.”
What I have learned in this relationship is that I don’t need to know everything. He has my best interest at heart. Whatever happens — God is in control whether it looks like it or not.
With my plane “sitting” on clouds I look out at the expansive sky and know that this child of God is in good hands.
