He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the sons of Israel. Psalm 103:7 (NASB) 

There is a big difference between observing a person’s activity and understanding his or her reasoning and motivation.

When we merely observe what God does, we may never mature in faith; whereas, if we know God’s heart and ways, we more easily come to trust him and get in step with his purposes in our lives.

When we do not know God’s heart, we will likely misread what he allows to happen to us and those we love. We may find ourselves at cross purposes with God and harboring resentment against him, neither of which is good. What can we hang on to when life gets confusing and crazy?

King David was a man who endured a lot of serious adversity in his life. At times, his life was severely threatened. He learned to retreat into a secret place of faith. Being a big time worshiper and song writer, he penned this prayer:

Make me know Your ways, O LORD; Teach me Your paths. Psalm 25:4 (NASB)

If we love God, we will naturally desire to know him better, which means we will grow in our understanding of his ways and purposes. Thankfully, our Lord is more than willing to share his heart with us, as is revealed in these inspired words written by David.

I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you. 9  Do not be as the horse or as the mule which have no understanding, Whose trappings include bit and bridle to hold them in check, Otherwise they will not come near to you. Psalm 32:8-9 (NASB)

Jesus said that his sheep will hear his voice. (John 10:27) Followers of Christ can be sure that God will always guide us in life. The Good Shepherd leads us in the paths of righteousness. (Psalm 23:3) Our responsibility is to trust that God always will faithfully lead and keep us, even when we are not sure where he is taking us or why.

The ability to eventually see the deeper purposes of God in any situation depends on our trusting him implicitly.

When God withholds understanding…

Man’s steps are ordained by the LORD, How then can man understand his way? Proverbs 20:24 (NASB) 

Sometimes God deliberately does not tell us what he is doing in our lives in order to develop our faith in his faithfulness; nevertheless, we can always have an understanding of his ways to keep us properly oriented.

We know from Scripture that God is working in every child of God to transform him or her into Christ’s image. If God is doing nothing else in my life, he is doing that.

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. 29  For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren... Romans 8:28-29 (NASB)  

From God’s perspective, which is the only one that really counts, God uses everything in life to demonstrate his love and wisdom and move us toward the goal of our bringing him glory. In the process, he transforms us from the inside out, making us more and more like Jesus in words, thoughts, and actions.

The Humility Factor

One of the most essential character qualities that God works in his children is humility. He has fashioned things so that only the humble can thrive in his kingdom. Those who always want to be “in charge” and “in the know” will be frustrated. Those who are humble enough to trust God during confusion, fear, and adversity bring glory to God by maintaining faith and joy continually.

God asks us to cooperate with him in the process of forming humility in our character. One way for us to do this is to discipline ourselves to trust and praise God at all times.

I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. 2  My soul will make its boast in the LORD; The humble will hear it and rejoice. 3  O magnify the LORD with me, And let us exalt His name together. Psalm 34:1-3 (NASB)  

Praise is a sure sign of our trust in God. Faith leads to praise. Praise also builds faith. I find that, when I give thanks to God for difficult things that he has allowed in my life, my faith rises to the occasion. Faith allows us to trust in the Lord at all times, even when it is difficult to understand why.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. 6  In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6 (NASB)

If we know nothing else, we can bank on these truths.

1. God is sovereign and working all things to his desired ends.
2. He loves us past comprehension and is working things for our good.
3. If we humbly trust him during times of trials and testing, even when we don’t know exactly what he is doing, it will bring him glory and us joy.
4. The more we learn to trust in God’s faithfulness, the greater our transformation into becoming like Jesus.
5. If we choose to make the sacrifice of praise during difficulties, it will glorify God and strengthen our faith.

So there we have it! When things go crazy, we should retreat into the confidence that God is still in charge and is working things for our good.

If we choose to praise God during the worst of times, we bring glory to him and faith will arise in our hearts. People who have confidence in God in difficult times are what the Bible calls overcomers. Why not start becoming one of those today?