EVERYTHING HAS A PURPOSE
Some things about God are hard to understand, like allowing the wicked for the day of trouble. When I read this, it seemed like as a contradiction for a kind, loving God to allow, yet it says these words in Proverbs 16:4. So the question is why?
At first glance, I thought it meant he allowed the wicked to flourish for himself to use for a particular day of trouble, but I wonder if he means that because they stubbournly reject him, he allows them to have their wishes, so that at the time he has set, if they still reject him, trouble will fall on them, and everyone will see that they were wrong, and their behaviour has consequences. Even so, he calls to us all, especially the wicked, to turn away from their sin and back to Him, and, whatever they have done, if they truly repent, he will forgive them. (Psalm 55:6-7)
Whatever his reasons, we must know that his thoughts are not like our thoughts and his ways are not our ways. (Isaiah 55:8-9). He does things differently to us, and when you think about it, who is likely to be wrong, us, who have lived for mostly less than 100 years, and whose understanding changes year to year depending on what we discover or what we think we now understand, or God who has lived for longer than we can imagine, knows more than we can know, and who is the same today as he was in the beginning and will be the at the end.
What people must realize, is that he will not allow evil to go on forever. The time is coming when he will be forced to stop it because it has got too bad, and is so far away from his intentions for mankind that he cannot look upon it anymore. It is probably the only way we will ever recognize his true power and his love.
Those of us who believe that Jesus came out from the Father and into the world as a perfect sacrifice for our sins, and has taken our pain and consequences of our sin on his own body to save us have the beginning of the knowledge of how intense and immense of his love is – but, I think it is still just the beginning of the knowledge of God and there is much more to learn.
Think of it like this.
When a drug addict chooses the drugs over their father over their loving family, after much effort and many warnings, eventually the time comes when the father must turn out his own child for the sake of rest of the family, particularly the young ones. Then the addict is out on the streets and is truly alone. Yet despite their fear and discomfort, some still choose the drugs, and their end is usually painful and lonely.
This is the future of those who reject God. Those who hunger and thirst for truth and righteousness will turn to their Saviour to be forgiven and healed, those who reject him are left out and are lost.
He is calling us all to be saved and come home because he doesn’t want to lose even one of us. Will you hear him? Will you listen?
This is how I understand my God.
I may be wrong, so read for yourself, see what you think.
Psalm 55 - An invitation to the Thirsty
55 “Come, all you who are thirsty,
come to the waters;
and you who have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without cost.
2 Why spend money on what is not bread,
and your labour on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,
and you will delight in the richest of fare.
3 Give ear and come to me;
listen, that you may live.
I will make an everlasting covenant with you,
my faithful love promised to David.
4 See, I have made him a witness to the peoples,
a ruler and commander of the peoples.
5 Surely you will summon nations you know not,
and nations you do not know will come running to you,
because of the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel,
for he has endowed you with splendour.”
6 Seek the Lord while he may be found;
call on him while he is near.
7 Let the wicked forsake their ways
and the unrighteous their thoughts.
Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them,
and to our God, for he will freely pardon.
8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
10 As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
12 You will go out in joy
and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and hills
will burst into song before you,
and all the trees of the field
will clap their hands.
13 Instead of the thornbush will grow the juniper,
and instead of briers the myrtle will grow.
This will be for the Lord’s renown,
for an everlasting sign,
that will endure forever.”