Angie is sitting at the bedside of her beloved mother. She’s been ill for such a long time. Fervently Angie has prayed for God’s healing. But her mom is not only still sick but rapidly failing. She thinks, “Why hasn’t God healed her? Doesn’t He care? He’s healed other people miraculously. Why won’t He do the same for my mom? She loves Jesus and was walking in step with Him when the bad news of cancer came. She didn’t do anything to deserve this!”
CONFUSION ~ DOUBT ~ ANXIETY
Ever been there? I have. Whenever our circumstances conflict with what we believe to be true, turmoil in our hearts is sure to follow. What is Angie’s problem?
Her lack of understanding or acceptance of God’s Word and His ways.
She’s taking verses about God’s healing out of context. Like these:
Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits-who…heals all your diseases. (Ps 103:2-3, emphasis added)
Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. (Mat 4:23, emphasis added)
However, God doesn’t promise to heal everyone—at least not this side of heaven (I personally know about this one since I lost my husband to cancer 12 years ago). But He does promise to work all things together for good for His children (Rom 8:28).
That’s why we need a deeper understanding of God’s word!
Angie knows some of God’s truth, some of God’s ways, but what she thinks to be true about God is not in keeping with what she is currently experiencing. Hence the conflict in her heart.
If we only have a surface understanding of the whole Bible, we could easily assume something incorrect about God—like He’s not caring, good, in control, or faithful—at least not to us individually.
One of my pastors continually admonishes us not to take verses out of context, or make a theology (the way you think about God) based on only a few verses.
So how do you resolve the conflict that arises in your heart during these confusing times?
- By believing that the Bible contains the actual words of God Himself.
- By reading the entire Bible again and again.
It’s a sad fact that many Christians have never read the whole counsel of God. But I found that the more I read, the less confused I got about who God is and how He works, and the more I was able to see how it all fits together so beautifully!
- By accepting and submitting to what God says even when you don’t like or understand it. You will never understand everything about God! He is the One in control. But He is also good and cannot do anything that’s not good (Ps 119:68)!
- By repeating what you do know to be true about God and choosing to believe it in your current, seemingly contradictory, situation.
- By acting as if that knowledge is really true (= living by faith not by sight).
When you do step out in faith, God will come through and you will gain experiential knowledge; your confidence in God will increase. In actuality, God often allows these confusing situations to test your faith and/or to lead you into a deeper knowledge and trust of Him (see last week’s blog).
So my friends, when you can’t seem to make sense of a confusing situation, don’t stay upset. It’s ok to struggle through an issue—just don’t jump to some erroneous conclusion about God. That’s what Satan wants! Instead, go to God and His Word for answers.
Let Him take you deeper by diving deep into His Word.
Helpful Resources
Understanding God’s Ways
How to Go Deeper with God–God’s Way
All Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible: New International Version®. NIV. ® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.