The Difference between the "WHY" of God and the "WAY" of God

Alright, let me go ahead and say it right at the beginning of this blog....sometimes God don't make any sense!?!
Try as I might, there are just some things that I will never understand about God! That doesn't make my statement blasphemous, it just is simple truth. Humanity sometimes reconcile their spiritual confusion by saying things such as "God works in mysterious ways” and it somehow puts our trials in an "Oh well" category and totally miss what God may be trying do in an individual's faith!

Here is what I come up with...we as children of God struggle with the "WHY" of God, when in reality, we should be seeking the "WAY" of God!

I have reconciled awhile ago that there are some things that I will never know!
All together now in a collective response....ARRGGHH!

As I write this, I cannot, nor will I attempt to understand the purpose or direction that God takes us towards understanding Him more completely, but what I can tell you is that His intention for us is not to struggle for divine direction, but achieve divine revelation….of who God is!!! We don’t know the causes to what and why God does His business, but I can tell you that the effects should be more of a revelation of WHO He is in our lives!

We question God on why negative things have to happen to us, when in reality, God maybe revealing Himself through a way that, while inconveniencing us, reveals to us His Way for our lives! It's easier to question than to wait! Easier to receive the short-term answer than the long-term revelation and blessing!!!

In St. John 11, the Bible tells of a familiar story of Mary, Martha, and their brother Lazarus, who was on his deathbed. Verse 5 tells that Jesus loved this family dearly and while Lazarus laid sick unto death, Mary & Martha sought out Jesus in the next town. They wanted Him to come and heal their brother! However, Jesus had a seemingly curious statement in verses 14 & 15! He said, “Lazarus is dead, and I am glad….for the intent that ye may believe”. Mary & Martha went home to watch their brother die, because their friend and Savior did not come when they wanted Him!

Now, believe me when I say, that would not have made a lot of sense to me either if I was Mary or Martha, but we see later that God was doing something else for a greater good! You see, Jesus could've come when they wanted Him to come and healed Lazarus and would have been bound by His relationship to just heal Lazarus! BUT they would have only known Him in a more limited way comparatively to what He actually did when bringing Lazarus back from the dead!
During the waiting on God to arrive, the question in their mind was..."Why God?", but after Jesus stood at the tomb and called forth a dead Lazarus, their mindset was illuminated to the "Way of God"! In other words, doctors can heal, but there is only one who can give life!?!
What am I saying? I'm saying that they received a deeper understanding and revelation of who He was, rather than what He could do for them!

It was Thomas when told of Jesus’ appearing after the Crucifixion that said, “I wont believe until I see and feel the wounds in His hands and feet” Why did he say that? He said it because he couldn’t wrap his natural thinking around a miraculous happening like His Resurrection. In other words, Thomas didn’t understand the "hows" and the "whys". Jesus appeared for the express purpose of showing Thomas that… just because you cannot perceive it does not make it unreal! When Thomas became acquainted with the wounds of Jesus by touching, it was then that he had a revelation...“My Lord and my God”!!!
Did ya hear that? Thomas found out who Jesus was when he became acquainted with suffering!

Listen to a few scriptures that remind us that understanding the Whys of God are not as important as the Ways of God…!!!

James 1:2-4 “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; (3) Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. (4) But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” The word, “Patience” is interpreted as “constancy” or “hope”

1 Corinthians 10: 9-13 “ Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. (10) Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. (11) Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. (12) Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. (13) There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” The MOST powerful aspect of that scripture is the reminder that God is FAITHFUL!!!

If we could ever understand this concept of revelation through struggle, we might be able to adjust our mindset that God may be revealing himself in a deeper way!!!
How do I know Him as a healer, if He never heals me!
How do I know Him as a Savior, if He never saved me!
How do I know Him as my God, if I never allow Him to be?
In other words, how do I learn the "Way of God" without first experiencing the "Why of God"?

The End is Greater than the Beginning....

Not long ago, one of my good friends lost his father after a prolonged illness. Although I did not know this man on a personal level, I was listening to my friend tell about his father to me. He explained that the man was a good father, BUT he recounted to me of the man's avoidance in walking with God altogether.

For years, the man dealt with issues of unworthiness of God's love and mercy in his life, and he never made any move towards a life of service towards God for years!
But as the man's illness began to incapacitate him, he realized his need for God in the short remainder of his life. As the days passed, the man grew weaker physically and the years of life not serving God had seemingly caught up to him. To a casual observer, one could think that God had forsaken this man and his final days. But during a family prayer on the man's death bed, he began to repent of the sin in his life and asked God, who it seemed had deserted him, for the saving power of the Holy Ghost to fill him. And God DID! He had already been baptized in the name of Jesus Christ earlier in life and was filled with the Holy Ghost a few short days before he passed on from this life. This life transitioned into another that will be filled with the endless day with the Creator, Savior, and Friend, Jesus Christ!

"You see..." my friend explained, "...during most of his life it seemed to never make sense to him. He could never find the joy that the Holy Ghost could bring him because he always tried to find it in a bottle or somewhere else. But when he realized he came as far as he could go on his strength, he turned to God!"
And while he said these things to me, I thought..."his end was greater than his beginning!"

Notice however, the only caveat is that the end will be greater only with Jesus Christ at the center of one's life can they truly embrace this promise! I've often thought if only everyone could realize the same golden opportunity that is available to has to make their "End greater than their Beginning!"

In the Bible, Job said that a man that is born of women is "few days and full of trouble". I guess that covers everybody, huh? We are trouble, and in trouble, and cause trouble...BUT God is not, nor shall He ever be, confounded by trouble! Moses, David, Job, and Peter all experienced inadequacy and failure during their life and ministry...i.e TROUBLE. Their failures could have defined them forever...but you see, their ending was greater than their beginning!
       
** Moses, after killing the Egyptian, went to the back side of a desert, heard the call of God at the      Burning Bush, and became the leader God chose to lead the people out of slavery in Egypt!
**David, a poor, unregarded shepherd boy not even validated by his own father, was anointed to be king over the nation of Israel, failed with Bathseba, became known as one of the greatest kings in Israel's history and was instrumental in preparing for the Temple of Solomon to be built...by who else? Solomon...David's son!
**Job, who lost it ALL, endured physical affliction and anguish from his wife and peers, and was faithful throughout for God to bless him double and greater from his previous losses!
**Peter, who knew what it was like to hear and see the Master minister to the needy and unsaved, knew what it was like to hear the voice of God, denied his walk with Jesus! Through it all....through later repentance and remorse, became the mouthpiece to trumpet the Message of Salvation to the history of the World!

All of these experienced and could tell you today that their End was Greater than their Beginnings!!!

Whether we want to believe it or not, every soul will spend eternity somewhere. Heaven should be our destination focal point! A life free from the addictions to the flesh and sin can be anyone that desires that change towards God! Why not go about making the right decision and change your spiritual destiny...let God change your direction!

You too, regardless of your spiritual level or vantage point, can experience this great opportunity! All you have to do is give it to Jesus, surrender your life to Him, obey Acts 2:38...and watch God make your endings better than your beginnings!