When God Just Doesn’t Make Sense

Goal for Life Application: The goal for life application is to live with total trust in God, being willing to place everything in his hands, believing that he will provide.

INTRODUCTION

Me

I got some new shoes this week. It wasn’t as if I was walking through the store and some fancy shoes caught my eye. I needed some new shoes. The soles were wearing out and I was beginning to get blisters. Every step was painful. This was especially true in my morning walks.

Every morning I get up at 5 and I walk. I used to hike the Ocotillo trail, which was a good walk. It is two miles going up to the top of the hill and back. I loved that walk but now it is staying dark later in the morning. When I was walking, I would see shapes of animals walking across the trail and I didn’t know what they were. It made me nervous. I have begun walk along the river path down at the park. I begin at the railroad bridge, walk to Green Street and back. This route added an extra mile to my walk. I love starting out my day with a nice walk. It makes me have so much more energy the rest of the day.

With the increase in my daily walking, however, I have noticed that my shoes wear out much quicker. The entire structure of my shoes changed. The shoes became so flimsy I didn’t have to untie them to take them off or put them back on. I began to feel all the pebbles on the ground through my shoes because the soles were so thin. The shoes were falling apart.

My morning walk began as an enjoyable experience, but it didn’t end that way. The first mile was great. I would listen to my music and enjoy the nice morning air. The second mile became somewhat uncomfortable. I began to really feel the bumps in the path. My feet began to sting a little. The third mile became painful. Every step was excruciating. Blisters began to develop. I had to stop walking in the morning because my feet couldn’t take it anymore.

So, I got a new pair of shoes. I like my new pair of shoes. In my new shoes, I could resume my morning walk without any pain. My goal is not to do the walk quickly. I don’t really do “quickly”. My walk is more leisurely. I shaved a few minutes off each mile because I was walking without pain. I love my new pair of shoes.

I loved my old pair of shoes when I first got them. They had the memory foam in them. Do you know what happens to memory foam in shoes over time? It gets flat. It’s no longer soft. My old shoes were great when I first got them, but they wore out over time.

That seems to be the way with much in this world. Things change. Things get old. Things cease to be useful. Some things we just cannot trust to be there for us down the road. That’s not the case with our Heavenly Father.

We

We have a Heavenly Father whom we know is going to be there for the long haul. We can trust our God. God is our God here today as we have gathered together to worship him. He will also be our God tomorrow when that life issue hits us. When we end up losing our job he is still our God. When bills are overwhelming he is still our God. When we are devastated with grief he is still our God. God will always be our God. He does not wear out. He does not get old. God is consistent and he always keeps his promises.

Transition

Our passage today, at first glance, appears to say this is not true. God promises Abraham that he will be the father of many through Isaac, and then he tells Isaac to sacrifice him. Sometimes God just doesn’t make sense, but if we trust him, he will provide. God always follows through on his promises.

WHAT?

SO WHAT?

Transition

NOW WHAT?

CONCLUSION

You

I love my new shoes. Eventually they will become like my old shoes. They will become worn and will no longer give my feet the support they need during my morning walks. I will eventually have to buy new shoes. God will never wear out. We can trust in the promises of God.

Never-the-less, most of us have questioned God at some point. Sometimes God just doesn’t make sense. “God, what are you doing?” “Why are you leading me down this path God?” Some of you have lost children. More of you have suffered other losses. Those are the times when people lose their faith. I know people who don’t believe in God because they question how a loving God could allow the evil that happened to them occur.

We

RESPONSE

Related Media

Related Sermons