Help Me Understand

Isaiah 55:8-9 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

One of the things I have been trying to make a practice of in my prayers is not asking the Lord “why?”. Let me start off by stating that there is nothing wrong with asking the Lord why He chooses to do what He does (with humility) as we have plenty of examples in the Scriptures of prayers from people asking the Lord why. We won’t often know why the Lord does what He does or why things seem to turn out for the worse.

My reasoning for practicing prayer without using the word “why” is because His thoughts are not our thoughts and His ways are higher than our ways. So instead of asking Him why I’m suffering or why I’m having to go through something challenging, I try to rephrase it to “help me to understand”, “what are You trying to teach me”, or “help me to have faith to trust You through this”. If He decides to impart the wisdom to me about His intentions, then God be praised. His will be done. If He chooses not to answer my prayer for understanding, then may I have the faith to continue following Him even though I can’t see a way out of the maze. He knows the way. I don’t have to ask Him why. I need to trust Him.

Psalm 31:14-15a “But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, ‘You are my God.’ My times are in Your hand…”