The best laid plans of mice and men oft time go awry and
leave us nothing but grief and pain for promised joy.
Robert Burns
We have all experienced plans that have gone wrong and
the grief and pain that resulted from this.
A. Sometimes things went wrong and we really didn’t
even have any plan.
When this happens, we feel so vulnerable to the forces of
life.
A. We wonder why we have to go through these
trials.
1. After all.....Doesn’t God still love us.....does
he not see what’s happening......doesn’t He
care?
When bad things happen, we sometimes feel lost....
abandoned......adrift in a terribly cruel world.
A. Even when we do everything that we can to guard
against these terrible surprises.....bad things still
happen.
ILLUSTRATION: When Dodi and I lost our first baby
after only four days of being in this world, I was
devastated. Why, God!!!!!??????? I was in Bible college at
the time and had dedicated my life to His service. Why
even let us have a baby if you’re going to take it away
before we even have a chance to love and enjoy her? The
whole thing seemed so unfair and so cruel. I had to find
my answers in prayer and study of God’s word. I found
that when some things are better understood, it makes the
pain not quite so hard to bear.
I. The first issue that needs to be understood is
“KNOWLEDGE”.
Psalm 46:10-11 - 10 Be still, and know that I am God; I
will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the
earth!11 The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is
our refuge. Selah
Psalm 83:18: - 18 That they may know thatYou,
whose name alone is the Lord, Are the Most
High over all the earth.
A. We humans.......no matter what time period we’re
discussing......always think that we know all that
there is to know.
1. When someone comes along and tells us that
the Earth travels around the sun and is round,
not flat.......this person is declared a heretic.
a. Why is he a heretic?.......because we
know that the earth is flat and it is the
center of the universe and everything
revolves around IT.
Job 40:6-14 - 6Then the Lord answered Job out
of the whirlwind, and said:7 “Now prepare
yourself like a man; I will question you, and
you shall answer Me:8 “Would you indeed
annul My judgment? Would you condemn
Me that you may be justified?9 Have you an
arm like God? Or can you thunder with a
voice like His?10 Then adorn yourself with
majesty and splendor, and array yourself with
glory and beauty.11 Disperse the rage of
your wrath; Look on everyone who is proud,
and humble him.12 Look on everyone who is
proud, and bring him low; Tread down the
wicked in their place.13 Hide them in the
dust together, Bind their faces in hidden
darkness.14 Then I will also confess to you
That your own right hand can save you.
B. Things come as an unwonted surprise, because we
have everything figured out and this thing that is
happening is not in those plans.
1. We have taken a page out of the fairy tales....
you know the one....”And they all lived
happily, ever after.”
a. When we became a Christian, we fell into
a false belief that nothing bad would
happen to us now.
1.) If we had been wise and thinking,
we would have taken a page out of
“Fox’s Book Of Martyrs”.
a.) Men and women of God were
allowed to be sacrificed on the
altar of persecution......didn’t
God love them?.....Didn’t God
care?........Couldn’t God see
and hear their cries to Him?
C. The truth that we have missed is this.....God’s
plans.....God’s timing......God’s purpose......may
not appear evident to us.
1. Don’t accuse God of not caring....not knowing
.........not seeing or hearing our plight.......
Simply understand that He is following HIS
PLAN........NOT YOUR PLAN!!!
a. God is in firm control of everything.
1.) Even though we may think that we
understand the situation and know
what the proper response should
be...........often we could not
possibly be any more wrong.
a.) Our solution may not be the
right one......we need to defer
to God’s plan.
Jer. 10:23 - 23 O Lord, I know the way of man is not
in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own
steps.
b.) Our timing may be all out of
whack.....we need to patiently
wait on God.
** When one tries to force his will, over God’s will........
This person will always lose.
1. Disasters will really occur and it will be due to
our stubborn will and reckless timing.
II. The next thing that needs to be understood and
remembered....CONSTANTLY.....is that the devil
hates us with a burning hatred that we cannot really
appreciate.
I Peter 5:8 - 8Be sober, be vigilant; because your
adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking
whom he may devour.
A. Many of the things that we think to blame on
happenstance or even on God are really the devil’s
doing.
1. satan wants to personally be responsible for
the destruction of all of the creatures (humans)
that he holds to be responsible for his pain
and frustration.
a. Anything that he can do to destroy us is
“fair game” to him.
B. Bad things, pain, sickness, evil things, bad
circumstances, failures, etc., etc.......all have their
origin with satan.
1. It is true that God will allow him to do these
things.....but God has a plan and a reason for
allowing these things to happen.
a. Instead of getting bitter towards God....
we who claim spirituality.....need to
come to a proper understanding of God’s
plan.....and just how satan fits into that
plan.
Rom. 8:28 - 28And we know that all things work together
for good to those who love God, to those who are the called
according to His purpose.
C. satan always will take advantage of your confusion
and your hurt.
1. He is the accuser.
a. He will put the thought in your head that
all the bad things that are happening are,
somehow, God’s fault.
2. He accuses us and tries to discourage us with
our own failures.
a. Failures which were brought about,
greatly, through his wicked attacks.
3. He accuses us before the throne of God.
a. This being wants nothing more than our
destruction.
Job 2:3-6 - 3Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you
considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on
the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God
and shuns evil? And still he holds fast to his integrity,
although you incited Me against him, to destroy him
without cause.” 4So Satan answered the Lord and said,
“Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his
life. 5“But stretch out Your hand now, and touch his bone
and his flesh, and he will surely curse You to Your face!”
6And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand,
but spare his life
D. If, in a moment of folly, we should draw away
from God (through our flawed understanding)...
satan will proceed to destroy us.
1. Spiritually.
2. Emotionally.
3. Even physically if he can.
** satan does his best work in the hearts of those who are
bitter and discouraged.
III. Sometimes there are just no apparent answers to why
bad things happen to the children of God.
A. Just because we can’t know it or understand it.....
does not make what happens....... not have a good
reason.
ILLUSTRATION: I heard of a Christian man who died in
a freak accident. He lost his life in a fall. He left behind a
family. This man was not that old, and his family surely
needed him. We wonder.....”Why did God allow the devil
to take this fine and needed Christian man?
A. We really have no definite way of knowing the
answer......but let us produce some scenarios
which could be possible.
1. Scenario #1....Perhaps satan had some kind
of temptation set up for this man that he
would not be able to resist.
I Cor. 10:13 - 13No temptation has overtaken you except
such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will
not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but
with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that
you may be able to bear it.
a. God’s solution: “satan.....you MUST
take this man’s life now......before he can
succumb to you wickedness.”
1.) God loves this man and wants only
the best for him. In this scenario...
the best for this man is death.
2. Scenario #2.......This man appears to be strong
and healthy, but satan has some terrible
disease in store for him.
a. God loves this man and only wants
the best for him. God orders satan
to take this man’s life....BEFORE
he can cause the suffering and pain
that satan has in store for him.
3. Scenario #3.........Perhaps this man’s disease
or his wicked path of life would so affect his
wife that God knows that she would fall away
from Him and possibly all of the children
would fall away, as well.
a. God loves this woman......he loves these
children.....and he loves this man.
Because of His great love, he commands
satan to take this man’s life.
** Maybe none of this would be the case, but do you see
how hard it is to second guess God?
1. We need to learn, understand, and apply a principle
of God’s Word.
a. GOD HAS ONLY THE ABSOLUTE,
VERY BEST IN MIND FOR US....IN ALL
THINGS AND AT ALL TIMES!!!!!!!
Ezek. 33:11 - 11“Say to them: ‘As I live,’ says the Lord
God, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but
that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from
your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of
Israel?’
James 1:17 - 17Every good gift and every perfect gift is
from above, and comes down from the Father of lights,
with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
1.) We may not understand His plan, but we
need to learn to trust Him when bad
things happen and when we don’t see
the reason, why.
a.) If we don’t understand WHY
................we need to see that
our understanding is limited, and
that we need to place our full trust
in God.
CONCLUSION:
We need to learn to place our faith and trust in God.
A. Let us understand and accept that our knowledge
is extremely limited and not to be compared with
the knowledge of God.
B. We understand that God loves us and wants only
the very best for us.
1. Let us make this knowledge such a reality
in our lives, that no matter what happens
that seems to be bad, we can rejoice in the
fact that God will be victorious and only
good can come of it.....IF WE WILL TRUST
GOD.
It is hard to relinquish control.....we understand that.
A. The temptation is to pull the tiller out of the
master’s hand.
1. But understand this.......haven’t we had
control of our lives up to this point?
a. What have we done with our lives?
1.) Mistakes.
2.) Heartbreak and sorrow.
3.) poor achievement.
4.) Failure in so many areas.
B. Wouldn’t it be far better to let the one who
designed and made everything......be in control?
1. We have relied too much on our own
understanding.....it’s time to put our faith and
trust in the Master’s hands.
Prov. 3:5-6 - 5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways
acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.
