Who Can Say to Him, “What Are You Doing?” No.1

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith Jehovah. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9).

“Who can say to Him, ‘What are You doing?’” (Job 9:12).

It appears to me that, one reason so many humans reject God, is He does not fit their vision of what a “god” should be like. We are selfish, we want things our way, and we tend to be impatient when we don’t get them. But God doesn’t always work—indeed, He rarely does—according to our schedule. What we think we need, and what God knows we need are quite often two different things. God’s wisdom is far superior to ours; re-read the passage from Isaiah above. Let me ask: how high is heaven above the earth? That cannot be measured. But that’s how much superior God’s way and thoughts are to ours. It’s simply a matter of trust, and that can be hard to do sometimes, especially if things aren’t necessarily going the way we want them to, or think they should. People don’t like that; they blame God; and trust in their own way. Is there a more common reaction among mankind?

Let me use a personal, and current, illustration. I ask the reader—and more so the Lord—to forgive me of the coming boast, but I do think I speak with some degree of truth. I’m pretty good at what I do—teaching, preaching, writing—those are my best talents, and I’ve had a lot of people over the years comment on how effectively I do communicate. Of the 6.5 billion people on earth, not very many of them can do what I’m doing on this blog—write articles about the Bible which have depth and comprehensiveness. I’m very good in the classroom and I’m very good in the pulpit, and I know it (again, forgive my boast). I’ve plenty of faults, of course, but I do believe the Lord has blessed me with some talent. So…why can’t I get a job? I’ve been out of a job for a month and a half now. I’ve sent out résumé’s literally all over the country, and a few overseas, and—nothing. I’ve prayed about it frequently and diligently—“God, what’s going on here? I need a job. You’ve given me some talent, and yeah, I can write on my blog and help some people, but why are You wasting my time when I could be out preaching and teaching? This is waste of good talent, you know…”

“And, furthermore, God, this depression. How in the world do you expect me to do my best work for You when, half the time, I’m incapacitated with agony and distress? Get rid of this stuff and just think of how much more I can do for You…”

“What are you doing, God…?”

Now, before I proceed, I want to make it perfectly clear that I do NOT—EVER—talk to God in the manner illustrated in the paragraphs above. When I pray, I always, always try to be as humble and reverent as possible, and whatever I ask of Him, I do so with thanksgiving and appreciation. Or at least, I do so as much as my frailty allows. But my words above do express some of the frustrations that we all feel at times. I want to get to work and I want to do the best I can for Him; I don’t have that many years left, I do believe I have a lot to give, but I’ve done nothing for the past month and a half but run into roadblocks. Now, a month and a half isn’t necessarily that long, but I’m still a little impatient and I don’t understand what the Lord is doing.

Of course I don’t. “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith Jehovah.” I really have no doubt—none—that in God’s own time, He will find what He wishes for me to do and send me there. Our whole purpose on this earth is to serve Him; I want to do that, so He and I are in full agreement on that matter. It’s just the time frame that He and I haven’t quite settled on yet. And, no matter how badly I’d like to have a job, or get out from under this depression, and whatever else I might want, I will not be able to rush God. And I really don’t want to, because as my Father in heaven, He knows better what I need than I do. I can, should, and do make my requests known to Him (Philippians 4:6). But then, my responsibility is to “Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him” (Psalm 37:7). In Psalm 40:1-2, David wrote, “I waited patiently for the LORD; And He inclined to me, And heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, Out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock, And established my steps.” And if I’ll do what David did, the Lord will hear my cry as well. In His own good time. “Trust in the LORD, and do good…feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass” (Psalm 37:3-5). These are wonderful promises. Again, not always easy to live by when the world isn’t turning our way. But God is faithful and He will keep His word. Every human being needs to believe that with all their heart.

If you will notice the title of this article, there is a “No. 1” at the end. I want to write a series on this subject, and give several examples from the Bible of God doing things in His own way, in His own time, and in a manner that we really can’t fully fathom. But hopefully, these examples will help us to comprehend that God’s thoughts and ways are not our thoughts and ways, and by doing so, develop a greater faith and trust in Him.

As hard as that might be when you’re out of a job and plagued with an agonizing depression.