When God Doesn't Make Sense

Joshua 6:1-5 TLB - The gates of Jericho were kept tightly shut because the people were afraid of the Israelis; no one was allowed to go in or out.

² But the Lord said to Joshua, “Jericho and its king and all its mighty warriors are already defeated, for I have given them to you! ³?4 Your entire army is to walk around the city once a day for six days, followed by seven priests walking ahead of the Ark, each carrying a trumpet made from a ram’s horn. On the seventh day you are to walk around the city seven times, with the priests blowing their trumpets. 5 Then, when they give one long, loud blast, all the people are to give a mighty shout, and the walls of the city will fall down; then move in upon the city from every direction.”

Have you ever experienced a scenario in your life where God just doesn't make sense?

Maybe you're thinking to yourself I don't know if I want to answer that or not, because I don't want God to think that I'm not trusting him, or that I'm doubting him... so I'm just not going to answer that.

Or maybe you're thinking to yourself... I don't want to answer that because I don't want to sound unspiritual.

Well I'm going to answer it for myself, and I'm going to say... Yes. Yes there have been times when God just doesn't make sense.

Maybe I should clarify that... There are times when what God is saying to me, or telling me to do, or telling me where to go, or telling me what I shouldn't do, just doesn't make sense. In other words it isn't logical. It doesn't fit into my "this is how I do it box."

Now I'm going to say something right here. Most of the problem that the children of Israel had was with the fact that God very often didn't make sense to them.

Many times God directed them to go a direction, or

to do a thing, that just didn't make sense to them.

When God led the children of Israel out of Egypt instead of taking them on the shortcut, he took them the long way around, and he led them directly to the Red Sea. Now let's be honest about it, that didn't make any sense.

10 different times the children of Israel angered God through their stubbornness and through their Rebellion, and it was basically because God didn't make sense to them.

Job 19:3 These ten times have ye reproached me: ye are not ashamed that ye make yourselves strange to me.

Now I'm no expert on this but I have come to believe that the most important thing in the heart of God concerning his children is this... He wants to be believed, he wants to be trusted.

And he will do things, and he will direct his children to do things that don't make any sense to them.

Sometimes I can say that God doesn't make any sense to me when he is silent.

Sometimes I can say that God doesn't make any sense to me, because it seems that he isn't doing anything about my problems.

Sometimes God doesn't make sense to me, because he asks me to something that hurts my pride.

If the question is, is there ever a time when God doesn't make sense to you? My answer is, "most of the time."

Did it make any sense to Naaman that he could go dip in a muddy river called Jordan, and he could be completely cleansed from leprosy?

Did it make any sense for the children of Israel to get up every morning, and then go out and walk silently around Jericho, except for the blowing of the rams horns, once everyday for six days, and seven times on the seventh day, then to shout?

Did it make any sense for Peter to go fishing, to get money to pay his taxes?

Did it make any sense for Jesus to spit in the dirt and make mud, and put it on a blind mans eyes, then to send him across town to wash it off?

Did it make any sense for Peter to simply throw his net on the other side of the boat, after he had fished all night, and caught nothing?

Did it make any sense for Elisha to cut off and throw a stick into the water where an iron axehead had fallen, expecting it to float to the surface?

So I'm going to ask the question again... Are there times when God doesn't make sense to me? My answer is yes, and I will even go so far as to say to you that most of the time, God doesn't make sense to me.