How to Know God's Will and Follow ItSample

You Don’t Need to Know Everything

“Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Hebrews 11:6 (NIV)

Going through hard times is inevitable for all of us. Have you ever been in the middle of a trial and thought, “Why couldn’t God have given me a heads-up about this? That sure would have helped!”

God doesn’t explain His plan to us in advance for two reasons: First, we likely wouldn’t understand it. Our brains aren’t big enough to understand all of God’s ways. God is God, and we are not.

The second reason is that God wants us to trust Him. The Bible tells us over and over that the only way to please God is not through ritual or rules or religion, but through faith.

Hebrews 11:6 says, “Without faith, it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him” (NIV).

The major characters in the Bible—Moses, Joseph, Esther, the prophets, Ruth, Peter, Paul, John, Mary, and more—all of them probably wanted God to give them a heads-up as they experienced trials, temptations, persecution, suffering, unmet expectations, and circumstances that seemed out of control. Their faith was tested in incredible ways.

Like us, all they could do when they didn’t understand was trust. They had to trust that God knew better than they did, could see more than they could see, and was working out a good plan.

That’s what you’re going to have to do in those moments when you don’t understand why the plan isn’t going the way you want. When the business starts to fail, when your kid walks away from God, when your investments aren’t doing well, when your health takes an unexpected turn—that is God testing your faith.

That’s your time to step up and show Him what you believe!

When life doesn’t make sense, keep on trusting in God’s plan. Trust His wisdom, His timing, His promises, and His love.

This devotional © 2024 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Get more biblical teaching in Pastor Rick Warren's new book Daily Hope Devotional: 365 Days of Purpose, Peace, and Promise at DailyHope365.com.