When God Does Not Make Sense - James Dobson - Quotes

"My chief concern at this point, and the reason I have chosen to write this book, is for my fellow believers who are struggling with circumstances that don't make sense. In my work with families who are going through various hardships, from sickness and death to marital conflict and adolescent rebellion, I have found it common for those in crisis to feel great frustration with God. This is particularly true when things happen that seem illogical and inconsistent with what had been taught or understood. Then if the Lord does not rescue them from the circumstances in which they are embroiled, their frustration quickly deteriorates into anger and a sense of abandonment. Finally, disillusionment sets in and the spirit begins to wither."

"In fact, the majority of us will someday feel an alienation from God. Why? Because those who live long enough will eventually be confronted by happenings they will not understand. That is the human condition. Let me say it again. It is an incorrect view of Scripture to say that we will always comprehend what God is doing, and how our suffering and disappointment fit into His plan. Sooner or later, most of us will come to a point where it appears that God has lost control - or interest - in the affairs of people. It is only an illusion, but with dangerous implications, for spiritual and mental health. Interestingly enough, pain and suffering do not cause the greatest damage. Confusion is the factor that shreds one's faith."

"Christians who become confused and disillusioned with God have no such consolation. It is the absence of meaning that makes their situation so intolerable. As such, their depression over a sudden illness or the tragic death of a loved one can actually be more severe than that experienced by the nonbeliever who expected and received nothing. It is not uncommon to hear a confused Christian express great agitation, anger, or even blasphemy."

"There is no greater distress in human experience than to build one's entire way of life on a certain theological understanding, and then have it collapse at a time of unusual stress and pain. A person in this situation faces the crisis that rattled his foundation. Then he must deal with the anguish of rejection. The God whom he has loved, worshiped, and served turns out to appear silent, distant, and uncaring in the moment of greatest need. Do such times come even to the faithful? Yes, they do, although we are seldom willing to admit it within the Christian community."

"This determination to believe when the proof is not provided and when the questions are not answered is central to our relationship with the Lord. He will never do anything to destroy the need for faith. In fact, He guides us through times of testing specifically to cultivate that belief and dependence on Him."

'When the heat is on and confusion mounts, some believers go through a horrendous spiritual crisis. They "lose God." Doubt rises up to obscure His presence and disillusionment settles into despair. The greatest frustration is knowing that He created the entire universe by simply speaking it into existence, and He has all power and all understanding. He could rescue. He could heal. He could save. But why won't He do it? This sense of abandonment is a terrible experience for someone whose entire being is rooted in the Christian ethic. Satan then drops by for a little visit and whispers, "He is not there! You are alone!"'

'What does such a person do when God makes no sense? To whom does he confess his troubling - even heretical - thoughts? From whom does he seek counsel? What does he tell his family when his faith is severely shaken? Where does he go to find a new set of values and beliefs? While searching for something more reliable in which to believe, he discovers that there is no other name-no other god-to whom he can turn. James 1:8 refers to that individual as a "double minded man [who] is unstable in all his ways". He of all people, is most miserable and confused.'

'For the heartsick, bleeding soul out there today who is desperate for a word of encouragement, let me assure you that you can trust this Lord of heaven and earth. There is security and rest in the wisdom of the eternal Scriptures. I believe you will see that the Lord can be trusted - even when He can't be tracked. Of this you can be certain: Jehovah, King of kings and Lord of lords, is not pacing the corridors of heaven in confusion over the problems of your life. He hung the worlds in space. He can handle the burdens that have weighed you down, and he cares about you deeply. For a point of beginning He says, "Be still, and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10)'

'After years of consistent answers to prayers, the Lord may choose not to grant a request we think is vitally important. In a matter of moments, the world can fall off its axis. Panic stalks the soul as life and death hang in the balance. A pounding heart betrays the anxiety within. "But where is God? Does He know what is happening? Is He concerned? Why have the heavens grown dark and silent? What have I done to deserve this abandonment? Haven't I served Him with a willing heart? What must I do to regain His favor?" Then, as frustration and fear accumulate, the human spirit recoils in distrust and confusion.'

'In Dr R T Kendall's opinion, 100 percent of believers eventually go through a period when God seems to let them down. It may occur shortly after becoming a Christian. The new convert loses his job, or his child becomes ill, or business reverses occur. Or maybe, after serving Him faithfully for many years, life suddenly starts to unravel. It makes no sense. It seems so unfair. The natural reaction is to say, "Lord, is this the way You treat Your own? I thought You cared for me, but I was wrong. I can't love a God like that." It is a tragic misunderstanding.'

'For the benefit of those of you who are enduring that withering attack on your faith, I want to share some similar experiences in the lives of other Christians. As indicated, it is important to recognize that you are not alone. Your pain and discouragement, which might lead you to ask "Why me?" are not unique. You have not been singled out for sorrow. Most of us are destined, it seems, to bump our heads on the same ol' rock. From ancient times, men and women have grieved over stressful circumstances that did not fit any pattern of logic or symmetry. It happens to us all sooner or later. Millions have been there. And despite what some Christians will tell you, being a follower of Jesus Christ is no foolproof insurance policy against these storms of life.'

'So tell me, where did we get the notion that the Christian life is a piece of cake? Where is the evidence for the "name it, claim it" theology that promises God will skip along in front of us with His great Cosmic Broom, sweeping aside each trial and every troubling uncertainty? To the contrary, Jesus told His disciples that they should anticipate suffering. He said, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). Paul wrote, "In all our troubles my joy knows no bounds. For when we came into Macedonia, this body of ours had no rest, but we were harassed at every turn - conflicts on the outside, fears within (2 Corinthians 7:4-5). Peter left no doubt about difficulties in this Christian life when he wrote, "Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when His glory is revealed" (1 Peter 4:12-13). Note in each of these references the coexistence of both joy and pain.'

'My concern is that many believers apparently feel God owes them smooth sailing or at least a full explanation (and perhaps an apology) for the hardships they encounter. We must never forget that He, after all, is God. He is majestic and holy and sovereign. He is accountable to no one. He is not an errand boy who chases the assignments we dole out. He is not a genie who pops out of the bottle to satisfy our whims. He is not our servant - we are His. And our reason for existence is to glorify and honor Him. Even so, sometimes He performs mighty miracles on our behalf. Sometimes He chooses to explain His action in our lives. Sometimes His presence is as real as if we had encountered Him face to face. But at other times when nothing makes sense - when what we are going through is "not fair," when we feel all alone in God's waiting room - He simply says, "Trust Me!"'

"Clearly, what we have in Scripture is a paradox. On the one hand, we are told to expect suffering and hardship that could even cost us our lives. On the other hand, we are encouraged to be joyful, thankful and 'of good cheer.' How do those contradictory ideas link together? How can we be triumphant and under intense pressure at the same time? How can we be secure when surrounded by insecurity? That is a mystery which, according to Paul, 'transcends all understanding.'"

'A wonderful illustration of this unseen presence is described in Luke 24, when two of Jesus' disciples were walking toward a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. They had seen their Master horribly crucified three days earlier, and they were severely depressed. Everything that they hoped for had died on that Roman cross. All the dramatic things Jesus had said and done now appeared contrived and untrue. He had spoken with such authority but now He was dead and laid to rest in a borrowed tomb. He claimed to be the Son of God, yet they had heard Him cry in His last hours, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" The disciples couldn't have been more confused. What was the meaning of the time they had spent with this man who called Himself the Messiah?'

"Never assume God's silence or apparent inactivity is evidence of His disinterest. Let me say it again. Feelings about His inaccessibility mean nothing! His Word is infinitely more reliable than our spooky emotions."

"Haven't you noticed that Jesus usually shows up about four days late? He often arrives after we have wept and worried and paced the floor - after we have sweated out the medical examination or fretted our way through business reverses. If He had arrived on time we could have avoided much of the stress that occurred in His absence. Yet it is extremely important to recognize that He is never actually late. His timetable for action is simply different from ours. And it is usually slower."

"Look at the human talent that has been 'wasted' by early death or disability over the centuries. Wolfgang Mozart, for example, may have had the greatest musical mind in the history of the world. He composed his first symphony at five years of age and turned out a remarkable volume of brilliant work. But he died penniless at 35, being unable to attract any interest in his compositions. His most valuable possession at the time of his death was a violin worth about two dollars. He was buried in an unmarked pauper's grave, and no one attended his funeral. Who was it that said life is fair?"

"One of the most breathtaking concepts in all of Scripture is the revelation that God knows each of us personally and that we are in His mind both day and night. There is simply no way to comprehend the full implications of this love by the King of kings and Lord of lords. He is all-powerful and all-knowing, majestic and holy, from everlasting to everlasting. Why would He care about us - about our needs, our welfare, our fears? We have been discussing situations in which God doesn't make sense. His concern for us mere mortals is the most inexplicable of all."

'Then I realized that there must be times when God also feels our intense pain and suffers along with us. Wouldn't that be characteristic of a Father whose love was infinite? How He must hurt when we say in confusion, "How could You do this terrible thing, Lord? Why not? I thought I could trust You! I thought You were my friend!" How can He explain within our human limitations that our agony is necessary, that it does have a purpose, that there are answers to the tragedies of life?'

"No, we human beings hardly qualify as gods - even piddly ones. Despite our intense efforts to understand ourselves, we have learned very little about living together harmoniously or even what makes us tick. The best trained and most respected secular psychologists and psychiatrists still believe that man is basically good - that he only learns to do evil from society. If that were true, surely there would be at least one culture somewhere in the world where selfishness, dishonesty, and violence have not shown up. Instead the history of human experience down through the millennia is the history of warfare - and murder and greed and exploitation. 'Peace' is what we call that brief moment between wars when people stop to reload."

"You might also take a good look at your children. How can anyone who has raised a toddler fail to recognize that rebellion, selfishness and aggression do not have to be cultivated? Kids come by it quite naturally."

"Certainly, we have learned much from the explosion of research and scientific investigation. I'm not disparaging that effort. I am saying that most of what was believed in ages past was palpably wrong. Could it be that we are living today in the first period in human history when nearly everything we have concluded is accurate? No chance!"

"If human intelligence and perception are undependable in assessing everyday reality, which can be seen, touched, heard, tasted, and smelled, how much less capable is it of evaluating the unfathomable God of the universe? Our efforts to encapsulate and comprehend Him are equally as futile. We can only delve so far into the infinite mind of the Maker before we run out of marbles. Still, the arrogance of mankind in ignoring or challenging the wisdom of the Almighty is shocking at times."

"I've been trying to say with this discussion that our view of God is too small - that His power and His wisdom cannot even be imagined by us mortals. He is not just 'the man upstairs' or 'the great chauffeur in the sky.' or some kind of Wizard who will do a dance for those who make the right noises. We dare not trivialize the One . . ."

"If we truly understood the majesty of this Lord and the depth of His love for us, we would certainly accept those times when He defies human logic and sensibilities. Indeed, that is what we must do. Expect confusing experiences to occur along the way. Welcome them as friends - as opportunities for your faith to grow. Hold fast to your faith, without which it is impossible to please Him. Never let yourself succumb to the "betrayal barrier," which is Satan's most effective tool against us. Instead, store away your questions for a lengthy conversation on the other side, and then press on toward the mark. Any other approach is foolhardy - because your arms are too short to box with God."

"A moment will also come in your lifetime when the facts will lead to despair. Maybe that moment has already arrived. At those times God seems to contradict Himself and no satisfactory explanation is forthcoming. The particular nature of the confusion varies from person to person, but a crisis of some dimension is inevitable. Faith never goes unchallenged for long. The question is, How will we deal with it when it comes? Will we break and run? Will we waver in disbelief? Will we 'curse God and die', as Job's wife suggested? I pray not! And if we prepare now for the experience, I believe we can steel ourselves against the assault of that hour."

"Is your raft skidding sideways in the river today? Is it plunging down the rapids towards the rocks below, terrifying everyone on board? Have you considered jumping into the river and trying to swim to safety on your own? That is precisely what Satan would have you do. He wants you to give up on God, who seems to have lost control of your circumstances. But I urge you not to leave the safety of His protection. The Captain knows what He is doing. There are purposes that you cannot perceive or comprehend. You may never understand - at least not in this life - but you must not let go of your faith."

"Don't demand explanations. Don't lean on your ability to understand. Don't turn loose of your faith. But do choose to trust Him, by the exercise of the will He has placed within you. The only other alternative - is despair."

"It is obvious not only that prayer is honored by the Lord, but that we are commanded to enter into this personal communication with Him. And what a privilege it is! Have you considered the nature of this gift we have been granted by the Almighty? We need not make an appointment to get His attention. There are no administrative assistants or secretaries with whom we must negotiate. He never puts us off to a later date when His schedule is less congested. Instead, we are invited to walk boldly into His presence at any moment, day or night. He hears the faintest cry of the sick, the lonely, the despised of the world. Every one of us is known and loved by Him, despite our imperfection and failures. Truly, the invitation to prayer is a precious expression of the Creator's incomparable love and compassion for humanity."

"Consider for a moment the kind of world it would be if God did exactly what we demanded in every instance. First believers would outlive nonbelievers by centuries. The rest of the human family would be trapped in decaying bodies, but Christians and their children would live in an idyllic world set apart.. . The entire basis for the God-man relationship would be undermined. People would seek a friendship with Him in order to gain the fringe benefits, rather than responding with a heart of repentance and love. Indeed, the most greedy among us would be the first to be drawn to the benefits of the Christian life. Most importantly, these evidences of God's awesome power would eliminate the need for faith."

"We can't see the future. We don't know His plan. We perceive only the small picture, and not even that very clearly. Given this limitation, it seems incredibly arrogant to tell God what to do - rather than making our needs known and then yielding to His divine purposes."

'God says to us, "Everyone is asked to endure some things that bring discomfort, pain, or sorrow. This is yours. Accept it. Carry it. I will give you the grace to endure it." Thus life goes on in a state of relative imperfection.'

"Unfortunately, there are a few highly visible Christian ministers who confuse people by teaching them there is no need for perseverance and self-control. Why should we practice endurance when health and wealth are available to everyone? By making just the right noises to God, we can tap into His power for trouble-free living. They would transform the King of the Universe into a subservient magician, or a high-powered errand boy, who has bound Himself irrevocably to the whims and wishes of us mere mortals. It is a dangerous misrepresentation of Scripture with far-reaching implications for the uninitiated."

"It's not that God can't heal the blind - or any other disease or deformity. He can and He does. But to my knowledge, He never performs those miracles en masse. Let's put it this way: I have never seen any minister fulfill a promise of universal healing to all comers. Oh, there are some who would have us believe they have a magic touch. But there is reason for skepticism. Furthermore, there's often a disturbing hysteria or a circus atmosphere in the healing services. Such mass-produced miracles affront the sovereignty of God and make a sham of His holy worship."

"I am concerned about the teaching of universal health and prosperity. It establishes a level of expectations which will eventually wound and weaken unstable Christians. . . And it begins with a theological distortion that promises a stress-free life and a God who always does what He is told."

"Perhaps you have noticed that life seems blatantly unfair. It pampers some of us and devastates others. Perhaps this is the most disturbing question posed to the thoughtful Christian. How can we explain such an apparent injustice? How can an infinitely loving and just God permit some people to experience lifelong tragedy while others seem to enjoy every good and perfect gift?"

"That utter abandonment to the sovereign will of the Lord is what He wants of His people, even when circumstances seem to swirl out of control. He can rescue - but if not . . . ! He will never let you down - but He won't let you off, either!"

"There is no stability or predictability in this imperfect world. It is that way for you and me, too. We must expect the unexpected - the unsettling - the irritating. One day we'll ride high above the fray and the next we could slide under the door. So whence cometh the stability in such a topsy-turvy world? It is found only by anchoring our faith on the unchanging, everlasting Lord, whose promises never fail and whose love is all encompassing. Our joy and our hope can be as steady as the sunrise even when the happenings around us are transitioning from wonderful to tragic. That's what Scripture teaches us, and His peace is there for those who choose to take it."

"The bottom line is that our welfare on this mortal coil is influenced by forces that are beyond the scope of our intellect. We are caught up in a struggle between good and evil that plays a significant, although unidentified, role in our lives. Our task, then, is not to decipher exactly how these pieces fit and what it all means, but to remain faithful and obedient to Him who knows all mysteries."

"Our message boils down to this very simple understanding: there is nothing the Lord wants of us more than the exercise of our faith. He will do nothing to undermine it, and we cannot please him without it. To define the term again, faith is believing that which has no absolute proof. It is hanging tough when the evidence would have us bail out. It is determining to trust him when He has not answered all the questions or even assured a pain-free passage."

"There is no better illustration of this faithfulness than is seen in the second half of Hebrews chapter 11. This Scripture, to which we referred earlier, has been called the 'heroes hall of fame', and it bears great relevance to our discussion. Described therein are the men and women who persevered in their faith under the most extreme circumstances. They were subjected to every kind of hardship and danger for the sake of the Cross. Some were tortured, imprisoned, flogged, stoned, sawed in two, and put to death by the sword. They were destitute, mistreated, persecuted, and inadequately clothed. They wandered in the deserts, in mountain, in caves, and in holes in the ground. Most important for our topic, they died not receiving what had been promised. In other words, they held onto their faith to the point of death, even though God had not explained what He was doing."

"Perhaps you are among those who have struggled to comprehend a particular heartache and God's reason for allowing it. A thousand unanswered questions have been recycling in your mind - most of them beginning with 'Why . . .?" You want desperately to trust the Father and believe in His grace and goodness. But deep inside, you're held captive by a sense of betrayal and abandonment. The Lord obviously permitted your difficulties to occur. Why didn't He prevent them - and why has He not attempted to explain or apologize for them? The inability to answer those fundamental questions has become a spiritual barrier a mile high, and you can't seem to find a way around or over it."

"To those whom I have been describing - those who have struggled to understand God's providence - I bring hope to you today! No, I can't provide tidy little solutions to all of life's annoying inconsistencies. That will not occur until we see the Lord face to face. But his heart is especially tender toward the downtrodden and the defeated. He knows your name and he has seen every tear you have shed. He was there on each occasion when life took a wrong turn. And what appears to be divine disinterest or cruelty is a misunderstanding at best and a satanic lie at worst."

'If you were sitting before me at this moment, you might be inclined to ask, "Then how do you explain the tragedies and hardships that have come into my life? Why did God do this to me?" My reply is not profound. But I know it is right! God usually does not choose to answer those questions in this life! That's what I've been trying to say. He will not parade His plans and purposes for our approval. We must never forget that He is God. As such He wants us to believe and trust in him despite the things we don't understand. It's that straightforward.'

"Jehovah never did answer Job's intelligent inquiries, and He will not respond to all of yours. Every person who ever lived, I submit, has had to deal with seeming contradictions and enigmas. You will not be the exception. If that explanation is unsatisfactory and you can't accept it, then you are destined to go through life with a weak, ineffectual faith - or no faith at all. You'll just have to construct your castles on some other foundation. That will be your greatest challenge, however - because there is no other foundation."

"When you think about it, there is comfort in the approach to life's trials and tribulations. We are relieved from the responsibility of trying to figure them out. We haven't been given enough information to decipher the code. It is enough to acknowledge that God makes sense even when He doesn't make sense."

"Throughout our remaining days in this life, therefore, let me urge you not to be discouraged by temporal cares. Accept the circumstances as they are presented to you. Expect periods of hardship to occur, and don't be dismayed when they arrive. 'Lean into the pain' when your time to suffer comes around, knowing that God will use the difficulty for His purposes - and, indeed, for our own good. The Lord is very near, and He has promised that your temptation will not be greater than you can bear."

"Sometimes He also lets you and me 'struggle with the oars' until we recognize our dependence on Him. In so doing, He gives our faith an opportunity to grow and mature. But one thing is certain. We are ever in His vision. When His purposes are fulfilled and the time is right, He will calm the stormy sea and lead us to safety on the distant shore."

"Let me take one more shot at the Christian writers and speakers who promote the expectation of ease in this Christian walk. They would have us believe that the followers of Jesus do not experience the trials and frustrations that pagans go through. Some of them appear so anxious to tell us what we want to hear that they distort the truths expressed in the Word. They would have us believe that the Lord rushes into action the instant we face a hardship, eliminating every discomfort or need. Well, sometimes He does just that. At other times He doesn't. Either way, He is there and has our lives in perfect control."

Does that mean, as it would seem, that we should not feel free to express our deepest longings and frustrations to the Lord? Is He so demanding and detached that we must hide our fears from Him or try to be something we're not? Should we grin and bear it when every cell of our bodies aches in sorrow? Must we mimic ducks that sit quietly on a lake but are paddling like crazy below the surface? No! At least 100 Scriptures will refute that uncaring image of God. Jesus said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28). We are told that He "knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust" (Psalm 103:14). He also understands that some of us are strong and confident by temperament. Others are naturally more anxious. That should come as no surprise to the One who made us the way we are.' 'One of the popular choruses of today offers this happy thought, "Something good is going to happen today, happen today, happen today. Something good is going to happen today. Jesus of Nazareth is passing this way." I have a strong dislike for that well-intentioned little rendition because it is based on bad theology. I understand how the lyrics are intended to be interpreted, but they imply that Christianity guarantees a person only "good things." It is not true. Let's be honest. As the world interprets it, something terrible could happen to you today. Christians do get sick and die, just like the rest of the world. They do lose their jobs like other people, and they do have car wrecks and dental problems and sick kids. Believing otherwise is a trap from which many young believers, and some old ones, never escape!'"It is not your responsibility to explain what God is doing with your life. He has not provided enough information to figure it out. Instead, you are asked to turn loose and let God be God. Therein lies the secret to the 'peace that transcends understanding.'"

"Just how tough is your faith? How secure is mine? Will we permit the Lord to use our weakness, our disability, our disappointment, our inadequacy, to accomplish His purposes? Will you and I worship and serve this Master even in suffering? Does our 'expectation' as followers of Jesus leave room for frustration and imperfection?"

"God is not against us for our sins. He is for us against our sins. That makes all the difference."