"Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor? Who has ever given to God that God should repay him? For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen."
-Romans 11: 33-36

Understand?

To fully appreciate this Hello From Maple Grove I need to give some background. This e-mail was first written and sent out on the morning of September 11, 2001. I wrote it that morning before the tragic events of that day, the attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and the hijacked plane that crashed in Pennsylvania, took place. I have a Promise Keepers' devotional calendar on my desk at GHS. Here is the verse that was on that calendar for September 11, 2001. "That day will be a day of wrath, a day of distress and anguish, a day of trouble and ruin, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness." (Zephaniah 1: 15) The timing of that verse along with the e-mail I had written that morning (below) still amazes me. Can any of us understand God? No. But I choose to place my faith, hope, and trust in Him! How about you?

Written September 11, 2001 in the early morning:
Who can understand God? Who knows His ways? Who understands His judgments? There are many things that happen that we don't understand. Why do bad things happen to good people? Why does it seem that the lawless prosper while those who are faithful struggle? Questions like these and I'm sure thousands of others fill our minds, but what do the scriptures say? "...How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!" (Romans 11: 33) This verse does not say that it is difficult to understand God but rather that it is impossible ('How unsearchable...'). Or see Isaiah 40: 28, below, "...and his understanding no one can fathom." God truly is beyond our understanding.

While it is true that God's ways are impossible to understand we do have a choice on how we deal with this fact. We can constantly question in our hearts and minds the 'why' behind all things. I fear that this approach will leave you never satisfied, always searching, and never at ease. The other approach we can take is to relax and trust in the Lord. There may be things going on in your life that you do not understand. Do not try to answer all the questions. Have faith in God and let His peace come to you. "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4: 7) You may not understand where this 'peace' comes from but that's ok! Just accept it and let your mind be at rest! :o)

Take a moment and encourage someone this week.

I pray that all is well with you. Please let me know if you have any prayer concerns or praises. Have a great week and remember to smile :), the Lord loves you!

In Christ,

Shan D. HArtsough

"Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom." -Isaiah 40: 28