God is intentional.
Most things that happen in our lives are God’s intent. We may not see it at the time, but in the end, we will know the reason. The business that didn’t work out, the kid that is not doing great, the job that seems unbearable, …, the list is never-ending, but it’s still intentional. You may not understand what I am trying to say, but I tell you that the impossible mountain is part of God’s plan for your life, for Him to accomplish His purpose. There is an adage that says, “A leaf never falls off a tree without God’s approval” – Job 37:6 (AMP). Everything that happens to us is not without God’s knowledge; nothing happens outside Him!
However, because you’re God’s intention, He made you for a reason; He decided when you were born and how long you would live, “You saw me before I was born and scheduled each day of my life before I began to breathe. Every day was recorded in your book!” – Psalms 139:16 (TLB). So, nothing whatsoever happens to you without God’s awareness or intent.
You Are Worth More
You may then wonder why God allowed all the bad stuff to happen in your life. Let me shock you! He is doing all of it because He loves you, “Did I hear because He loves me?” If God truly loves me as He said, why would He allow pain, struggles and depression? I have asked these same questions many times, and the answer I always get is, “Because I love you.” “I say this because I know the plans that I have for you.” This message is from the Lord. “I have good plans for you. I don’t plan to hurt you. I plan to give you hope and a good future.” – Jeremiah 29:11 (TLB).
God cannot and would not lie (Numbers 23:19). Though the issue looks unsolvable, God has sacrificed too much for you by allowing Jesus Christ to die for you, for Him to let all go in vain. You were bought with a price, a very costly price, so you are loved and cherished. He only allows all these to get your attention and for a relationship with you. He knows you will need Him at that point, and you will remember Him and come calling, “Then you will call my name. You will come to me and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will search for me, and when you search for me with all your heart, you will find me. I will let you find me. And I will bring you back from your captivity. I forced you to leave this place. But I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have sent you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back to this place.” (Jeremiah 29: 12 – 14).
Simply Ask Him
The story of the Israelites in the bible is a very familiar one. They loved God when the going was good and turned back when the road looked rough; they only worship God for what they can get from Him, not for Who He is. Similarly, God wants us to love Him for Who He is in good and bad times. He wants us to magnify Him and not the problem. He wants us to make Him bigger and our problems lesser. “Don’t show the world how big your problem is, but show the world how big your God is.”
Let me shock you! He is doing all of it because He loves you, “Did I hear because He loves me?” If God truly loves me as He said, why would He allow pain, struggles and depression? I have asked these same questions many times, and the answer I get all of the time is, “Because I love you.” Again, the Israelites always run back to God when the going is bad, and He will deliver them, but when they are trouble-free, off they go to their old ways, serving other gods. God cannot lie. He had made a promise not to destroy them, and if He can’t get them to come back to Him, instead of Him lying or going back on His word, He would raise nations, kings, and people to whip and smack them, and like a lost sheep, they would come back running.
“I brought you out of Egypt and led you to the land that I promised to give to your ancestors. I told you I would never break my agreement with you. But in return, you must never make any agreement with the people living in that land. You must destroy their altars. I told you that, but you didn’t obey me. Now I will tell you this: I will not force the other people to leave this land any longer. These people will become a problem for you. They will be like a trap to you. Their false gods will become like a net to trap you.” – Judges 2: 1-3.
“The Lord did not force all the other nations to leave Israel’s land. He wanted to test the Israelites. None of the Israelites living at this time had fought in the wars to take the land of Canaan. So he let those other nations stay in their country. (He did this to teach the Israelites who had not fought in those wars.) These are the nations the Lord left in the land: the five rulers of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the people of Sidon, and the Hivites who lived in the Lebanon mountains from Mount Baal Hermon to Lebo Hamath. He left those nations in the land to test the Israelites. He wanted to see if the Israelites would obey the Lord’s commands that he had given to their ancestors through Moses.” – Judges 3: 1-4.
The Lord permitted nations to torment Israel to see if they would listen to His instructions. They did eventually listen, and God delivered them.
So anytime you feel God has allowed so much pain, instead of moaning and complaining, simply go back to Him. He’s ever ready to receive you.
