by Rev Douglas Brauner

Trusting God, even when God doesn’t make sense.

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

Attitude!

Heceta Head, Oregon

I arrived at Heceta Head early on a Thursday morning, so early that there was very little traffic on the Oregon Coast highway. That’s not a common experience as travelers coast, along the coast, in August. This seagull was waiting for my arrival. It wasn’t scared of my presence. Deep down in its heart, it knew that I was there to give it food. We did a kind of seagull/human dance. I moved forward, it moved backward. I moved backward, it moved forward. It was rather beautiful if you ask me.

However, the seagull was giving me attitude because I didn’t give it what it wanted. In fact, I had a moral obligation to not give it what it wanted.

“If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” 
Matthew 7:11 English Standard Version

God doesn’t have to give us what we want, even if we get a little perturbed at his lack of response. “You’ve got  to be kidding me God! Why wouldn’t you…(you fill in the blank)?” God’s simple answer might be, “It’s not good for you.” We’re spiritually near-sighted. God is both near-sighted and far-sighted. He knows what’s best for us and what will hurt us. He sees both the big and little picture of our lives.

God calls us to trust his love and not give him attitude. However, that’s not easy for us to do. We’re inclined to tell God that he doesn’t know what’s best for us. He doesn’t live my life! He doesn’t know what I’m going through! We presume to know what we need instead of placing our confidence in our all-loving God.

The test of faith is when we can hold on to God, even when God doesn’t make sense, and even when he doesn’t give us what we want.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado