Blog - Foundation Bank

"But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing that is formed say to Him who formed it, why have you made me like this?" - Romans 9:20

Our God works in mysterious ways. These ways are far above our own ways and understanding. So, there are times in life when circumstances don't make sense, and we look to God with a very confused countenance. Paul pointed one of these instances out in Romans chapter 9. He alludes to the story of Jacob and Esau. Esau was the older of the two brothers, and was due the largest portion of his father's inheritance. Through deceit, Jacob obtains this inheritance in his place. Despite this deceitful behavior, God exclaims "Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated" (Rom 9:13). Paul's audience might ask, "What did Esau do to cause the Lord's anger to burn against him? It was Jacob who was the deceiver. Why would God love a liar?" This is a very good question indeed. However, Paul warns us very sternly that when life does not make sense, it is not God who is faulty, but rather our own understanding of Him that is broken.

Many times we come before our God with very spoiled hearts. We think that God is obligated to bless us. We believe that He owes us something. When life doesn't go the way we expect, we begin complaining. Just like the Israelites in the wilderness in Numbers 11, we grumble and groan that the Lord is not acting the way we think He should. Statements like, "You're not meeting my needs!" and "This is not the way this is suppose to go," flow off our lips without a thought. Perhaps it is not circumstances that we bemoan before the Lord. Maybe we are not content with the way He created us to be. Perhaps we are a musician but we want to be an athlete. Perhaps we are of meager means, but we want to be rich. Discontentment with God comes in many forms. In all these ways, we most certainly "reply against God", and put him before the bar as though he needs to defend his actions to us.

What a terrible mistake for us to make. For us to ask some of the questions above would be like a clay pot asking the potter, "Why did you make me like this?" (Rom 9:21). It is ludicrous for a vessel to accuse its owner of anything. Simply to exist is blessing enough. The Creator didn't have to create us at all. Yet here we come with our arrogant accusations, asking the Lord to defend his actions in us and the world in which we live. But God does not owe His creation an explanation. He is in Heaven and we are on Earth. He is Holy and we are unrighteous. He is perfect and we are sinful. He knows best, and we do not. There are many times in life when we must trust the sovereign hand of our God. Do we have faith that He knows what He is doing even when it seems, from our vantage point, that He does not? We should thank God that He could love a liar like Jacob. For if he could not use a deceiver to be the father of Israel, there would be no hope for Him to use us either. It is not the question, "Why" that is the problem, it is the attitude with which we ask it. Let us not question God with disrespect. But let us trust him, even when life makes little sense.