Sometimes God makes me uncomfortable. 

There are a lot of things about God that I don’t understand, and confusion frustrates me.

• I don’t understand how if God is the potter and we are the clay (and if He can make us into anything He wants), why does He make some people for noble things and not others (Romans 9:20-22)?
• If God chooses us versus us choosing God, why doesn’t He choose everyone (Romans 8:28-30, Ephesians 1:4-6, Ephesians 1:10-12)?
• Maybe a better question is, why does He choose anyone at all (Romans 3:11-12)?  None of us deserve His grace.
• How could God harden Pharaoh’s heart then punish Pharaoh for his hard heart (Exodus 9:11-12)?
• Is that fair? Is God fair? Is it even about fairness?

What does a person do with such verses? How do they fit together with a verse like, 2 Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”

Are you ready for the great answer?

Drum roll please…

I don’t know. 

Pretty anticlimactic, I know.

But God doesn’t function like we do.  His ways and thoughts are higher than ours (Isaiah 55:9).  God isn’t bound by our limited–and sinful–understanding of fairness.

In an odd way, I’m okay not knowing. I accept that God is greater than me, and that He knows more than I ever will. He can do things that seem impossible (and maybe even unfair) and somehow it all meshes together. When I get to heaven, I doubt I’ll stand before Him demanding an explanation. I think when I finally see God face to face, I’ll fall down in worship fully knowing He is worthy and I am not.

I’m sorry if you think that’s a cop-out. I think that’s recognizing my proper place before God. I am the created, not the creator. I’m not meant to know everything.

That doesn’t mean I won’t study these difficult questions, or do what I can to better understand His Word. It means that when I hit an impasse I will choose to trust God anyway.

Why? Because God is God and I am not.  Case closed.

From the archives.