Incapable of Comprehending

by Charles R. Swindoll

Read Job 42:1--11

God's plans are beyond our understanding and too deep to explain. Perhaps God doesn't explain Himself because knowing and understanding His way may not help us all that much. Stop and ask yourself: Does knowing why really help? Is the pain removed by knowing the cause? Ours is a world filled with devastating catastrophes, random shootings by hidden snipers, jets crashing into tall buildings, deliberate poisoning of elderly people at rest homes, serial rapists and murderers, mothers who kill all of their own children, droughts and famines, wives in automobiles who run over their husbands, preachers who are fraudulent and phony, CEOs who take unfair advantage of their employees. The list doesn't end. How could God permit such things? Would it really help to know why? In a fallen world full of depraved people who act out their worst thoughts, would it change the wrong?

I'll go a step further. Maybe God doesn't explain Himself because we're incapable of comprehending His answers. Since He lives in an existence that is completely unlike ours and in a realm far beyond our comprehension, ours being tactile and limited by space and time, within the rigid boundaries of all the physical laws, how could we possibly understand? None of our limitations apply to Him, so what would enable us to grasp His plan?

What bothers us is that He doesn't act as we think He ought to act. He doesn't do what our earthly dads would have done in similar circumstances. While I'm at it, where was He when His own Son was crucified? To the surprise of many, He was there all the time working out His divine plan for our salvation. As the process was running its course, Jesus' own disciples didn't get it---they were the most disillusioned people on the planet. Do you remember what they were thinking? They were wondering how in the world they could have believed in a hoax. From their perspective, their Master's death didn't make any sense.

Do you know what Job finally sees? Job sees God, and that is enough. He doesn't see answers. He is to the place where he doesn't need answers. He has gotten a glimpse of the Almighty, and that is sufficient. Have you had glimpses of His glory?