Beyond our comprehension

Allie Brauhn

Columnist

Let's see... it's now 10 a.m. and I have so far been interrupted by my too-early alarm clock, a few friends stopping me on my way to class, and a few phone calls as I type these thoughts on my computer.

Only about 14 more hours of the day to get back on track with my original master plan for today.

Chances are, I'll soon be saying, "Not again!" and decide that my plan just isn't going to happen, and that either the boogey-man of coincidence or God is to blame. Well, I don't believe in coincidences, so God must be the culprit. But I don't believe in arguing with God.

And so, I'm compelled to re-think this issue.

I often hear the phrase, "Everything happens for a reason." And while I agree, I would say that things happen for not any old reason, but specifically for God's reason.

But then I wonder what kind of God this is, who would cut the cord of our daily plans, our lifelong dreams, and even our political plans for our country. Why in the world would God want to interrupt our well-thought-out design for the prosperity of our days and lives?

God interrupts the purposes of the people for a divine reason, because, well, God is God. Could it be that God's purpose for every circumstance is beyond our knowledge or understanding?

Is it so absurd to think that daily or life-changing interruptions are actually not interruptions at all? What if every glitch in our plan was actually the plan with God's purpose?

I believe that God is in control of my life. That doesn't mean I am harnessed away from evil and bad decisions. Spend a day with me and you'll easily see my human sinfulness.

But if God is indeed in control, then I must realize that each plan and added interruption is either 1) allowed by God to discipline or draw me to trust in Him, or 2) intended by God in His immovable master plan, which cannot be changed by any human effort (Job 42:2).

If these are true, then I have no business pouting or complaining when things don't go as planned. And I'm not talking about delayed optimism, like when people say, "Now looking back on it, I know why that happened."

While the sentiment may comfort some, I still think God is saying, "Nope, you still don't know!" We should be thankful now Ñ thankful that we don't know the reasons for everything, and that we know Who does.

"The Lord foils the plans of nations; He thwarts the purposes of peoples. But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of His heart through all generations" (Psalm 33:10).