God Will Make a Way: When God’s Ways Don’t Make Sense
A thin band of pale light hovers over the horizon like a breath only partially exhaled. I watch from my window like I’m waiting for the day to exert itself by letting go of the light it holds in restrained lungs. I’ve been wrestling with God lately—the kind of wrestling you do when you begin to doubt the promise that God will make a way.
I open the Bible with the turquoise cover, and my eyes fall upon the words: “For the Word of the Lord is right, and all his work is done in faithfulness” (Psalm 33:4).
It sure doesn’t feel like God’s faithfulness when the dream you were building your life around comes crashing to the ground.
It doesn’t feel like faithfulness when you lose the job or your child has an incurable disease.
You look to the future with weak knees and trembling hands, and no part of you believes God will make a way through the barren wilderness in front of you.
God Will Make a Way
We all face seasons when God’s ways don’t make sense. We need promises to carry us through the seasons of waiting and hope that’s deeper than circumstantial expectations. If you can relate, here’s some truth for when God doesn’t make sense in your life:
1. God’s ways are not our ways—his ways are way better.
Isaiah 55:9 reminds us of these words: “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
Your situation might not make sense to you today—or tomorrow. But God is working. God is always working.
A little more than ten years ago, I found out I was expecting our first child, and we sold our first home within a 24-hour window. A few days later, I became debilitatingly ill with pregnancy sickness. Not only was I trying to teach full-time, but I needed to pack up our belongings and prepare to move as quickly as possible.
My body wasn’t pleased and responded by sidelining me on the bathroom floor for hours every day.
The timing didn’t make sense.
We had to move out of our home and had not yet found a new home. Thankfully, my parents welcomed us into their home. We moved in just in time for my illness to become so severe that I often couldn’t stand up for more than three minutes at a time.
My mom cared for me—just as she had when I was a child.
We stayed with my parents for several months. My mom tended to me while I took a medical leave from my job. I spent my days trying to stay hydrated for the sake of my unborn child.
Looking back, I see God’s faithfulness. In his sovereignty, God knew I would need my mom’s help to carry me through the worst months of pregnancy. He strategically allowed us to have no home in the exact span of time when I most needed care.
God’s ways aren’t our ways, but they are certainly higher and better than our ways.
God’s ways aren’t our ways, but they are certainly higher and better than our ways. #GodsWays #trustingGod #GodisFaithful #EncounteringGod Share on X2. God will make a way as he teaches you to surrender control.
Most of us like the feeling of being in control. We try to control everything from our spouses’ behavior to the way we fill our schedules to the brim. We’re furious when other people interrupt our agendas. (For more on handling interruptions with grace, join me here.)
When God’s ways don’t make sense in my life, I’ve learned to stop and ask one important question: “What would it look like to steward this assignment and trust God with the outcome?”
Last spring, our beagle was expecting a litter of puppies. As her belly expanded, our expectations grew as well. The kids couldn’t wait for a kennel full of cuteness. We expected the event to fill our home with a much-needed dose of joy. It’d been a tough season, and we needed some sunshine.
Much to our dismay, something went terribly wrong. After giving birth to nine puppies, we began losing them quickly. We reached out for help, but nothing could be done. The process was devastating.
Within a week, we buried all but one surviving puppy.
It felt like more than we could bear. More than anything, my heart was broken for the pain our children experienced as we endured the grief together—one puppy at a time—eight times.
When the stressful cloud of crisis mode finally began to lift, I asked God what he wanted me to know about our terrible experience.
A quiet thought settled upon me: “These gifts are yours to steward, but they’re not yours to control.”
God gives us each gifts and responsibilities in life. He gives us careers, kids, spouses, ministries, houses, dreams, and even pets. He then asks us to be good stewards. We are called to do the best we can to steward the gifts. The outcomes are in God’s hands.
Have you been trying to control outcomes in your life?
Ask God to show you where he is inviting you to release your desire to control outcomes. He will show you how to shift to an attitude of stewardship instead. (For more on releasing control, join me here.)
We Can Trust God—Even When We Don’t Understand
Lastly, I close with the gentle reminder that God is trustworthy. When you don’t understand God’s ways, ask him to help you trust him—even when you can’t see the end of the story. In his book Life Without Lack, Dallas Willard closely equates the words “trust” and “faith.”
Trusting God with what you cannot see is the foundation for developing deeper faith. Declare your trust in the midst of uncertainty, and his joy will become your strength!
A Free Devotional for When God’s Ways Don’t Make Sense:
God wants to speak into your life. Will you respond to his invitation today? I have a gift to help you respond today: My 10-day online devotional Fan the Flame. This devotional offers dozens of practical ways to connect with God and hear what he wants to speak to you. Click here, and I will send this devotional directly to your email inbox. 
These books are free on Kindle Unlimited or available to purchase in print:
God wants to work in your life to accomplish what you’ve been unable to do through willpower alone. Lean Into Grace: Let God’s Grace Heal Your Heart, Refresh Your Soul, and Set You Free shares practical ways to experience God’s freedom, healing, power, and presence in your life. Find this life-changing book as a free eBook on Kindle Unlimited or for 12.99 in print right here. (If you do not have Kindle Unlimited, you can try it out with a free three-month trial!) This book will transform your life and revitalize your relationship with the Lord!
Calling all moms and daughters!
Additionally, my teen daughter, Bekah, and I are passionate about helping moms and daughters grow closer while connecting with God. We have written two mother-daughter devotionals together. Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith is written for girls ages 7-12. It includes 60 devotions with Scripture, conversation starters, and a shared journaling section after each devotion.
Heart to Heart: A Mother-Daughter Devotional With 50 Devotions for Teen Girls is for teenage girls ages 13-20. It includes 50 devotions, each with a shared journaling section to help moms and daughters connect through writing. This is a great book for moms who want to communicate about awkward topics—like dating, purity, peer pressure, and more—but don’t know where to start. We will help you!
Multitudes of mothers, daughters, mentors, and younger women are being transformed by these books! You can buy them as paperbacks or get your free Kindle Unlimited eBooks on Amazon right here.
