We Don't Have to Understand

This could not be more of a perfect day, in my opinion. Monday’s are my off day, and I have come to cherish them so much already. On this particular day the air is cool and crisp, the leave are falling and the coffee pot is pull. Makes for a good day to me. What I also love is that it allows time for me to run errands, clean…etc. You know, get things done. But also I have time to sit and reflect.

There has been something burning on my heart to write and share here lately that God has been teaching me, but like most things that God teaches me, it takes time for me to find the words to articulate whatever it is.

So with my coffee and Bible not too far out of reach, I’m hoping to attempt (Lord willing) to share a few things Jesus is teaching me.

I was struck to my core the other night at my churches College Worship Night (First Friday). After worship we split up guys and girls and pray for each other. As one of the girls, Gabby, prayed she said something that has echoed I my heart every sense. She said, “The vessel doesn’t have to understand.”

I was a word straight from the Lord to me, and he use Gabby to bring it.

“The vessel doesn’t have to understand.”

Let that settle in for a moment.

Have you ever found yourself in a situation or circumstance that you didn’t understand? You looked around at what was happening to you or around you and were left dumbfounded, speechless, mad, angry, hurt or confused? If you have lived life at all…you mostly likely have experienced circumstances that left you asking the question, WHY?

That’s a place I found myself lately. Finally asking the question that for years I always wanted to ask God, but never verbally could bring my self to say. But one night I finally whispered it. “Why, Lord? Why did…happen? Why am I still waiting? Why?”

There have been times here recently when I must confess I don’t want to pray about certain things. Because we pray with HONESTLY—realizing who we are coming before—it brings up all kinds of deep emotions we’d probably rather keep pushed down. So for sometime I wouldn’t pray about a situation I knew the Lord wanted me to come to him with. I’d rather keep walking around like I’m fine and don’t care anymore—when deep down there was still very much a wound that had not healed.

From time to time someone who bump that wound and was down there would come out. It usually came in the form of a very bitter, “WHY?!”

Over time God answered that why in a few different ways that I’ll share in future posts. But he also answered my why with what Gabby prayed, “The vessel doesn’t have to understand.”

…I don’t have to understand why he chose me. He did!

…I don’t have to understand why he uses me. I just need to let him!

…I don’t have to understand why…happened. It happened. Trust God’s in it!

…I don’t have to understand, PERIOD!

I’m not called and you’re not called to lean on our OWN understand. But in ALL things acknowledge Him, and he’ll direct our steps.

One of the lessons I am still trying to learn is to leave the unanswered questions alone.

Like Adam and Eve we seek to know things we don’t need to know. If there is something I need to know or something you need to know He has a way of getting the information to us. But it’s different when we seek out to know and understand things that we don’t need to know and understand. Sometimes our searching will leave us in more pain, more confused,  more frustrated. There are times to seek answers, but then there are times when we need to just leave things alone and let them be.

One of the biggest revelations for me was the truth that even if I don’t know the answers to the questions I have…God knows. God knows and I know Him. So, I figure if there is something God wants me to know He has a way of letting me know.

But it’s the seeking to be “all-knowing” that gets us in trouble!

There are going to situations and circumstances in life that don’t make sense. We are called to not view God through the lens of our circumstances anyway. We are called to look at our circumstance from the truth of who God is—our circumstances don’t define God. 

God is who He says He is!

He is the potter and he is the clay. We are the vessels God uses to display His glory. To show his grace, strength, power, love, mercy and compassion. We don’t have to understand WHY! God doesn’t owe you or I an explanation! In his grace many times he does answer our, “WHY’s.” Sometimes he doesn’t.

But will be trust Him even in the answered questions?

“This is the message that came to Jeremiah from the Lord:  “Jeremiah, go down to the potter’s house. I will give you my message there.” So I went down to the potter’s house and saw him working with clay at the wheel. He was making a pot from clay. But there was something wrong with the pot. So the potter used that clay to make another pot. With his hands he shaped the pot the way he wanted it to be. Then this message from the Lord came to me: “Family of Israel, you know that I can do the same thing with you. You are like the clay in the potter’s hands, and I am the potter.” This message is from the Lord.”– (Jeremiah 18:1-6)