A Whole Lot of Gray

A Whole Lot of Gray

Have you ever read a story from the Bible, an account of the life of one of those less than perfect people God used to accomplish His purposes, and wondered how the person could have been so seemingly unaware of what God was doing at the time?  When we read one of those stories from beginning to end, and see its conclusion, it seems to be tied up in a neat little bow, with lessons for us to learn in plain view – Moses freeing his people, Jonah ultimately obeying God and going to Nineveh, Noah building the ark – and on and on.  It’s easy to see what the point was, what the plan was, how God used all the circumstances, and how it speaks to us today.  In our own lives, we may see how God used certain circumstances after the crisis is over, after we have walked through the fire.    It seems black and white to us then.  But while we’re walking through it, it can seem like a whole lot of gray.  Often, though, our situations don’t get wrapped up in a neat little bow, and we don’t understand why things remain the same, why our prayers seem to go unanswered. We stay in the gray.  Sometimes we need to be reminded that the hardest work gets done in the gray, in the struggle, in the mess.  We can rest in the knowledge that He is working in the gray, working ALL things together for our good (Romans 8:28).   Even here, in fact, especially here, He is with us, forming and shaping us in those most difficult moments and trying circumstances.

A wise Pastor often said, “You have to leave room for the mystery of God.”  In Isaiah 55:8-9, we are told that His ways are NOT our ways, His thoughts are NOT our thoughts, but His ways and thoughts are higher than ours.  He calls us sheep, and Himself the Good Shepherd.  He says His sheep know His voice, and they follow Him.  While I have never been around sheep, I do have a dog, and am thinking the two are probably similar on a cognitive level.  Now, I love this dog, but her understanding of my wants, desires, motivations, and concern for her can only go so far.  She tries to run after a car every time she sees one as we are walking the neighborhood.  Were it not for the tether of the leash held by her Master, she would have been run over long ago.  She appears to have a short memory and some lessons have to be taught over and over again.  Even with the best training, she will only be able to understand so much; she knows I love her, and she runs to me when I call, but her mind is not like my mind, her thoughts so unlike mine.

 The relationship is much the same with our Heavenly Father; we do well to listen for His voice and remain in His presence, but we will never fully understand His mind, His ways, His greatness.   Knowing He loves us and wants the best for us, should be enough for us to fully place our trust in Him.  The Bible says that He calls us beloved, and He loves us with an everlasting love – a love for always, from before we were formed, through eternity.   You can trust that kind of love, even if you don’t yet see the answers in black and white.

 You can trust Him in the gray.