The Lord Never Makes Sense

The Lord Never Makes Sense
July 11, 2011
2 Kings 5:10 ''Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, 'Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.'''


You have probably heard the phrase, "The Lord works in mysterious ways." Where this phrase came from, I don't know, but it is certainly true. While it is not found directly in the Bible, it is absolutely backed up by example after example when reading through its pages. In one such instance, there was a man with leprosy who was directed to wash seven times in the Jordan River. The man, Naaman, didn't like that idea; listen to his response in 2 Kings 5:11-12:

"But Naaman went away angry and said, 'I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?' So he turned and went off in a rage."

You and I respond like this, with doubt and disdain when we feel the path the Lord has for us does not make sense. We rationalize and recommend how best the Lord should work in our lives. But the Lord does not do things the way we think He should. Oftentimes, the Lord does not make sense. It didn't make sense for Naaman to wash himself in waters that he considered inferior. Naaman went off in a rage and did not receive the miracle he needed. He disagreed with the Lord and therefore did not receive what the Lord had for him. What a great lesson to learn for you and me. When we stomp our feet like a child and decide we don't like how the Lord is working, we can and will miss the miracle the Lord has for us. The Lord does not ask us to figure it out or to understand it; He asks that we submit to His way of doing things, to His recommendations.

Naaman wanted a super-human miracle to change his life, not an obscure method that required his submission and obedience. Submitting to the Lord's method required Naaman to have faith in the Lord, however random it seemed. You and I must do the same thing, submit to the Lord in order for faith to work its miracle in our lives and situations. If the Lord recommends it, it is best for us! But how often have we all deviated from the Lord's recommendations? We do this on a daily basis, apply our own rational thought and do things that make sense only to us. What makes sense to the Lord will not necessarily make sense to you and me. It isn't our job to figure it out; it is our job to obey and follow through with His recommendations. If you fight His way of doing things you will fight your own miracle. You have probably missed out on so many of the Lord's blessings for your life because you didn't do things His way.

Naaman finally, after the urging of others, submitted to the Lord's method. He did what made sense to the Lord and then received the miracle the Lord had for him. You will receive the Lord's miracle for your situation only when you do things His way. Don't make recommendations to the Lord on how best for Him to accomplish things in your life. Do things His way from the onset; your miracles will come to you so much more quickly.

Don't take my word for it; look it up: 2 Kings 5:1-14, Job 37:5, Is 55:8-9, Heb 1:1