2009 - Daily Devotionals

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Excerpt taken from: Grace for each hour by Mary.J. Nelson

"My thoughts are completely different from yours." says the Lord.
And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than you thoughts."
Isaiah 55:8-9

Because I said so

Because I said so. I remember how much I hated to hear my parents say those words. I vowed never to use them with my own children. I planned to give a detailed explanation every time I corrected my child, handed down a decision, or issued an order. But eventually I learned that my parents had wisdom far beyond my years, and some things just didn't need to be explained. Because i trusted them to take care of me and I knew how much they loved me. It became even clearer after i had children of my own.
Isn't the same true with our heavenly father? how may times have you heard people question him? if there is a god, where was he on Septmeber 11? if god is good, why do I have cancer? why do some people die of cancer and others overcome it? How often we reject him because his ways don't always fit into the limits of our wordly understanding of justice and fairness?
Cancer can bring us face to face with Gods Sovereignty. With my scientific training, I like facts and figures and detailed explanations. But there are no definitive answers, medically or otherwise. I found comfort in knowing God is wise and good and his son is a light of hope in a fallen world. I trusted his promise that something good would come out of this cancer and he would somehow use it for his purposes ( Romans 8:28). But most of all I was reminded of a lesson I learned long ago. Just as a child does not question his parents' wisdom, the clay does not question the potters work (Romans 9:20-21) His ways are higher than mine and his thoughts are higher than mine. By surrendering myself completely to him, I also surrendered the need to know why. I only need to know he said so.

The next time you wonder if God knows what he's doing, think about just how much distance is between the earth and the heavens above. A million miles? Ten million? More? that's how much more your heavenly father sees than you see. So when you search for answers to difficult questions, and the answers don't come, trust in the potter who mqade you. He's a wise and loving parent. When you ask him, he will tell you: Because I said so.

Mary J. Nelson (2005) -Grace for Each Hour. Bethany House publishers

2009 - Daily Devotionals

An Excellent Breast Cancer Daily Devotional