2026 Lenten Season - Day 33 - So Many Questions

We continue the tradition of 40 days of Lent-related devotionals (46 counting the Sundays).
Sharing "Journey to the Cross" by Paul David Tripp.
***********************************************************************
The story of Jesus guarantees how your story will end.

How will this story end? This is the question in the mind of every human being.
How will my marriage end?
What will happen to my career?
Will my suffering ever end?
How will my kids turn out?
Will my investments pay off?
How will I get myself out of this mess?
Will I pass this course?
What will I have to deal with in old age?
What will I do after I graduate?
How will my ministry turn out?
Will the Bible turn out to be true?

These kinds of questions somehow, some way, haunt every human being. It doesn’t take many years of life before you conclude that you’re not only not in control of the big things in life, but also that there are very few things you actually control. It doesn’t take long for the delusion of self-sovereignty to shatter. We’re all also confronted with the fact that we live in a broken world that doesn’t function the way the Creator intended. As a child, you aren’t capable of theologically thinking this through, but you know messed-up and hurtful things happen a lot. As an adult, you adjust your expectations because you know the kinds of things that can happen in a fallen world.

In our smallness, we wonder if our lives will turn out the way we hoped and dreamed. My answer may surprise you. No, you won’t get much of what you hoped for and probably few of your dreams. But here’s the wonderful, encouraging flip side of my answer. What you will get as God’s child is way better than anything you could’ve hoped for and incomparably better than your brightest dream. Pay careful attention to what I am about to say. God doesn’t guarantee you’ll get your temporary dream; what he guarantees you is forever.

Because we are rational beings, we don’t live life based only on the facts of our experience; we depend on our interpretation of our experience. We never leave our own lives alone. We are always thinking, interpreting, and rethinking. We carry assumptions with us and we draw conclusions, which color future observations. Let me say this another way: we are all storytellers, and our audience is us. We all compose a story of how we think our life should unfold; it’s a story of what we desire and dream. And we all work to make the plot come true that we have written for ourselves. But grace introduces another author.

We are not actually the authors of our own stories; God is. He wrote our story ages before we took our first breath. Every situation, location, and relationship was written into the chapters of his book by his sovereign hand. And by grace, he has embedded our story into the great and grand, origin-to-destiny redemptive story. We are now citizens of his kingdom; we now live in the shadow of his glory, and we are now called to live with his purpose in mind. Because our story has been embedded in his story, there is no doubt about how our story will end.

Yes, we will suffer along the way. Yes, our hearts will go through seasons where they are laden with grief. No, we won’t always be healthy. Yes, we will be weak and we will fail. Yes, loved ones will leave us. Sometimes we will go through seasons of want. We won’t always be respected and appreciated. We won’t always experience true justice. There will be chapters in the story that God has written for us that will be very hard. But we must remember two things. First, he has written himself into the story so that he will always be with us, giving us what we could never give to ourselves. Second, what your Lord has written for you is not less than the plot you have written for yourself; it is infinitely more.

Most of us would be satisfied with temporal human happiness. We’d be satisfied with a good job, a nice house, a reliable car, a good church, a good marriage, successful children, and health and pleasure in our later years. But all of these dreams are not only self-oriented, but they are so dramatically brief when compared to the expansiveness of God’s story. So rather than deliver our small and self-oriented dreams, God did something better: he sent his Son to earth.

Jesus was willing to come, suffer, and die so that we would have a way better story. He suffered so that our suffering would end forever. He lived a selfless life so that we would be freed from our bondage to ourselves, so that for all eternity we would know the liberating joy of living for something and someone bigger than ourselves. Because of his humiliation, we will know the exaltation of living forever in the presence of the King.

Know today that no matter what you are going through, because of the grace of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, your little story has now been absorbed into his great story of victory over all that sin has broken. Because of what Jesus has done, you can rest in knowing the glorious way your story will end. In fact, because of the grace of Jesus, the end of your story is that it has no end!

GOING DEEPER
Reflection Questions

1. Describe a time when God did something in your life that was not what you wanted or planned, but later you saw that his plan was better.

2. Functionally, who do you believe is the author of your story? You may mentally agree that it is God, but do you live that way? What evidence is there in your life that you submit to God’s pen?

3. What parts of your story are you trying to write yourself? Are you willing to give God control? What are you afraid of?
*********
Read Romans 8:31–39 as God’s promise to you that even your heartaches are part of his plan.

Romans 8:31-39 New Living Translation

Nothing Can Separate Us from God’s Love

31 What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? 32 Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? 33 Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. 34 Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.
35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?  

36 (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) 37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.
38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Farther Along

Don’t envy sinners, but always continue to fear the Lord. You will be rewarded for this; your hope will not be disappointed.
Proverbs 23:17-18 NLT

Written almost a century ago, Farther Along puts to music support of this passage of Scripture. The song asks what we do with the apparent prosperity of the wicked when contrasted with the suffering of the righteous. 

The world tends to be envious of the wealth of the wicked, but earlier in the book of Proverbs (3:32), we're told, Such wicked people are detestable to the Lord, but he offers his friendship to the godly. Which would you rather have; ill-gotten gains or friendship with an Almighty God? Remember the choices we make have eternal ramifications. And as the song so succinctly states, Farther along, we'll know all about it. Farther along, we'll understand why...

Prayer:

Father,

           We pray according to Your Word - we would have lost heart, unless we had believed that we would see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living. We will wait on You, Lord; we will be of good courage, and You shall strengthen our heart. Farther along, we will understand why. Help us to walk through the questions by faith in You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Going My Way

Guide my steps by your word, so I will not be overcome by evil.
Psalm 119:133 NLT

Every day, we take steps in this journey called life. What are we using as a guide for those steps? Are we following? Are we leading? Are we headed in the right direction? Do we know where we will end up? 

Questions to contemplate. The answers are found in God's Word. 

Prayer:

Father,

          Birth in us a fresh anointing and desire to know You more. To read and embrace Your Word. Guide our steps by Your Word, so we will not be overcome by evil. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

A Few Questions...

Who is able to advise the Spirit of the Lord? Who knows enough to give him advice or teach him? Has the Lord ever needed anyone’s advice? Does he need instruction about what is good? Did someone teach him what is right or show him the path of justice?
Isaiah 40:13-14 NLT

We can't believe someone would think they were smarter than God. As followers of Christ, we cannot conceive of trying to school God on anything... can we?

How about those times when we know it is the Holy Spirit nudging us to speak to that person... and we don't? Or the times we know in our knowing that it is God telling us to give sacrificially... and we don't? To pray for this one, to encourage that one, to offer the ABCs of salvation... and we don't? 

Verse 25 asks the question, “To whom will you compare me? Who is my equal?” asks the Holy One. Verse 28a-b reads, Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth.  And we are not.

Prayer:

Father,

           We humble ourselves before Your greatness and sovereignty. Please forgive us for our foolish and selfish ways when we oppose Your will in our lives. Help us to see more clearly, to hear succinctly, and to obey immediately. Help us to not question Your will but to trust You always. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Q&A

For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.
2nd Corinthians 4:17-18 NLT

The question is, When we are grappling with pain - physically or emotionally; when trials come at us in seemingly never-ending waves, do we perceive that as God ignoring us or not paying attention to what is going on? As punishment? Do we see that as a reason or excuse to not be about our Father's business?

The question is, When we've done all that we know to do, are we still going to stand on His Word? 

Paul did, and I dare say he suffered more after becoming a follower of Christ than any of us have. Paul gives us the highlights in 2nd Corinthians 11:23c-28,

...in far more labors, in far more imprisonments,

beaten times without number, often in danger of death.

Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes.

Three times I was beaten with rods,

once I was stoned,

three times I was shipwrecked,

a night and a day I have spent in the deep.

I have been on frequent journeys,

...in dangers from rivers... dangers from robbers... dangers from my countrymen... dangers from the Gentiles... dangers in the city... dangers in the wilderness... dangers on the sea... dangers among false brethren...

I have been in labor and hardship,

through many sleepless nights,

in hunger and thirst,

often without food,

in cold and exposure.

Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches.

None of those things stopped Paul. None of them combined deterred him from his purpose of spreading the Good News - the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He didn't question God over it. The truth is he saw it as a ministry tool! (see Philippians 1:12-16)

The question is... Can we believe in the midst of it all that God is working something eternal which we can neither see nor hear? That God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them? (see Romans 8:28 NLT)

And our answer is...?

Prayer:

Father,
           We pray as Moses prayed, Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom. O Lord, come back to us! How long will You delay? Take pity on Your servants! Satisfy us each morning with Your unfailing love, so we may sing for joy to the end of our lives. Give us gladness in proportion to our former misery! Replace the evil years with good. Let us, Your servants, see You work again; let our children see Your glory. And may You, Lord our God, show us Your approval and make our efforts successful. Yes, make our efforts successful! In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Keep It Moving

Friends, don’t get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back.
Philippians 3:13-14 The Message

Where are you going? I'm not asking about vacations or work trips. I want to know your destination in LIFE. Where are you headed? What's your goal? Are you in charge of your destiny? Think about it! Check your life.

Are we aiming for Heaven? Is that our goal? Are we actively taking steps and measures to get there? Is there activity that shows forward motion with Heaven as your destination? We can't move forward just for the sake of moving. Or are we just marking time - going to work, paying bills, mowing the lawn, trying to save for retirement? Are you working as diligently to get to Heaven as you are to succeed at work? Are we seeking God's "well done, good and faithful servant" above getting a raise at our job? 

The Truth is, if we have our eye on the goal, and keep pressing forward where God is beckoning us onward - to Jesus - all the rest of that stuff will be taken care of. Matthew 6:33 in the New Living reads, Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

I heard these pearls of wisdom from Alan Neel, "When we live without direction, we're living without a destiny." If we're not moving forward - toward Christ - seeking Him, serving Him, then we're living aimlessly, seeking our own satisfaction. That won't get us to Heaven. We gotta keep it moving... onward to Jesus.

Prayer:

Father,
          Forgive us for mindless living. Clear our vision to see our way to You. Renew the passion within us to keep moving toward You and to make intentional choices to keep us on our course. We want to finish well and hear You say, "Well done, good and faithful servant." In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

The Question is...

For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.
2nd Corinthians 4:17-18 NLT 

When we are grappling with pain - physically or emotionally; when trials come at us in seemingly never-ending waves,  do we perceive that as God ignoring us or not paying attention to what is going on? As punishment? Do we see that as a reason or excuse to not be about our Father's business?

When we've done all that we know to do, are we still going to stand on His Word? Paul did, and I dare say he suffered more after becoming a follower of Christ than any of us have. Paul gives us the highlights in 2nd Corinthians 11:23c-28, 
...in far more labors, 
in far more imprisonments, 
beaten times without number, often in danger of death.  
Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. 
Three times I was beaten with rods, 
once I was stoned, 
three times I was shipwrecked, 
a night and a day I have spent in the deep. 
I have been on frequent journeys, 
in dangers from rivers, 
dangers from robbers, 
dangers from my countrymen, 
dangers from the Gentiles, 
dangers in the city, 
dangers in the wilderness, 
dangers on the sea, 
dangers among false brethren; 
I have been in labor and hardship, 
through many sleepless nights, 
in hunger and thirst, 
often without food,
in cold and 
exposure. 
Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches. 

None of those things stopped Paul. None of them combined deterred him from his purpose of spreading the Good News - the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He didn't question God over it. The truth is he saw it as a ministry tool! (see Philippians 1:12-16) 

The question is... Can we believe that in the midst of it all, God is working something eternal that we can neither see nor hear? That God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them? (see Romans 8:28 NLT) 

And the answer is...?

Prayer:

Father,
          We pray as Moses prayed, Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom. O Lord, come back to us! How long will You delay? Take pity on Your servants! Satisfy us each morning with Your unfailing love, so we may sing for joy to the end of our lives. Give us gladness in proportion to our former misery!  Replace the evil years with good. Let us, Your servants, see You work again; let our children see Your glory. And may You, Lord our God, show us Your approval and make our efforts successful. Yes, make our efforts successful! In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* This is the Day

This is the day the Lord has made;
Psalm 118:24a NKJV

It was a rough night and an even rougher morning. One with more questions than answers; more angst than peace; more melancholy than joy. I wasn't seeking the questions, angst or melancholy, but neither was I seeking the answers, the peace or the joy.

Until a dear friend spoke Truth. "All I know is - this is the day the Lord has made and He has a plan for me and for my life in this day." A word fitly spoken (Proverbs 25:11); arrows that pierce me deeply (Psalm 38:2a) ...rightly dividing the word of Truth (2nd Timothy 2:15).

And as those Words of life sat and resonated in my heart and in my mind, I stopped grousing and asked forgiveness and then prayed. Thank You, Father, for the Truth of Your Word in Hebrews 4:12, For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Truly, this IS the day the Lord has made. Will you CHOOSE to rejoice and be glad in it?

Prayer:

Father,
           Help us to win the battle of choosing this day. Choosing what YOU have planned. Choosing what YOU have created. Choosing YOUR plan and walking in it. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen