God Permits

In tough seasons, when nothing seems to be going right, when brokenness is heavy and the darkness seems to have settled in and the losses are piling up, it is easy to think that God might be testing us. That God has put us in a hard season to see what we're made of or to build something new or to make us stronger or to prepare us for whatever. 

Or maybe we think that maybe God Himself is losing. That this world really is falling apart. That Satan has the upper hand. 

Or maybe we think that God just doesn't care. That He doesn't love us. That He's not real. That faith..doesn't matter. That our lives are built on a lie. 

Then comes along that one friend who reminds us that God doesn't cause all of the things that happen in our lives. Sometimes, He just allows them. 

It's easy, when we're thinking about this idea, to think about Job, but that's not always the best place to go. Job was stuck in a cosmic battle between God and Satan, who thought he could find the upper hand, and I don't think it's realistic to believe that we are all suffering in this world because Satan wants to prove a point (and so does God). That's not helpful for most of our day-to-day struggles. 

But Job isn't the only story in the Bible with this theme. The story of Daniel also starts this way. 

Stuff just happens. 

God just allows it. (Daniel 1:2)

It's just the way it is. 

The only real question is what you're going to do now. 

I'm reminded of dinners where I didn't get a say as to what was on the table. (Young folks, this was the way the world worked for a very long time. You didn't get to throw a fit and get some special chicken nuggets made just for you.) There was something that was prepared, a meal that was cooked, a portion of it heaped out onto my plate, and a plate placed in front of me. This was dinner. 

I could eat it or not eat it. But if I didn't eat it, I was going to be hungry later. I'd get another opportunity to eat it the next time the table was set, but the sneaky little truth about that was that I wasn't going to get a say in what was on that plate, either. 

So the question is - do you eat what is in front of you or do you go hungry? 

God always eats what's in front of Him. 

God always makes the most of whatever is on the plate.

You've probably heard the verse about God working all things together for the good of those who love Him, and that's true. God can take a meal He didn't cook, a meal He didn't even choose, and use it to nourish you anyway. To make you stronger. To build you up. He may never convince you that you like it, but He can bring you to a place where you're thankful for it. It might not be the meat and potatoes He planned for you, but canned asparagus has its place, too. (I mean, I assume...or they would have stopped making it by now.) 

So the next time you're in a tough season, remember that the question to ask yourself is not necessarily why God is doing this to you, but rather, what God is doing to you through this. It may not have been His plan A, but He's allowed it, and He's going to do great things with whatever is on your plate.