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By Mike Caton

John 13:7, Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”

Isn’t that the story of our lives? Things happen and we have no ideas about the whys or the hows or even what we are supposed to do about it. To be honest, and to put it very simple, we live in a sinful world, one that has been marred by the sin of Adam and Eve from the beginning, and we live in a world of sinful people. And let’s be honest, we are sinners ourselves. We often face things that happen because others make bad choices, and sometimes we make those bad choice ourselves.

But Jesus is doing something here, and he tells the disciples they don’t understand now, but one day they will. Again, that is the story of our lives, right? God does work in mysterious ways, as the old saying goes. And sometimes, the things God does or allows to happen in our lives are completely over our heads. And we might protest, as Peter did, or we might just put our head down and keep on going. And we might wonder, even question God, as to why things are happening as they are. But we also realize there are many things that we cannot change, and so all we can do is simply to keep on going and to trust the Lord.

But the most amazing thing is how God does work things out when we are faithful to him and continue to follow his directions. It is not always fun, not always easy, and sometimes we do want to simply give up. But that is not an option, we are not called to be happy or successful, we are called to be faithful. That is not to say the Christian life is an unpleasant or simply a life of misery, but our comfort and happiness is God’s primary concern. We are called to be committed to the Lord, to live by his standards, and by doing so to glorify God. In good times and bad, for better or for worse, God wants us to come close to him and to stay close to him.

Father, help me trust even when I don’t understand. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Mike Caton is the preacher at Mount Olive Church of Christ in Belhaven. He volunteers at the Ponzer Fire Department and works part time with Hyde County EMS. If you would like to receive daily devotions in your inbox, email mikecaton@centurylink.net.

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