Some Reasons God Leaves Things Unresolved

One of the great mysteries of God’s providence is that He often leaves things unresolved or unattended to for a very long time. Despite our fervent prayers, He often doesn’t rush to fix everything and He has His reasons for this.

Perhaps it is that we often grow through struggles. We discover strengths that we did not know we had.

Suffering sometimes brings wisdom; we can learn more by living with our questions for a while rather than getting quick answers.

Suffering can spur creativity. Many movies, works of literature, paintings, and poems, are the fruit of struggle and speak to the drama of life and the conflicts we endure.

Suffering sometimes fosters growth. There’s an old saying, “Things do by opposition grow.” Another one says, “Calm seas do not a mariner make.”

Perhaps if He rushed to solve things and intervened frequently God would remove too much human freedom, which He both respects and sees as necessary for us to be true sons and daughters rather than slaves.

Finally, and most mysteriously from our perspective, fixing one thing often affects many others. We have caused a great deal of “collateral damage” in our culture as a result of trying to fix things too quickly. Whatever our good intentions, many of our welfare programs have harmed families and parishes, from which help through charity traditionally came. Some of our advanced technologies have had harmful effects on the environment. And despite our many labor-saving devices, most of us are busier than ever. Yes, fixing one problem sometimes leads to more problems, or at least brings unintended consequences.

Yes, there are mysteries to God’s providence. Despite our many and seemingly reasonable requests that things be fixed (and quickly!), God in His wisdom often delays and leaves things unresolved. He has His reasons, but most of the answers as to why are none of our business.

Be careful before you rush to fix things in your life or in the lives of others. Fixing is often required, but proceed slowly and carefully; learn patience. Learn from God, who can fix everything instantly but usually does not.

 

7 Replies to “Some Reasons God Leaves Things Unresolved”

  1. Suffering exists for those reasons, and more, because it exists for sanctification and redemption:

    Catechism 1505 …By his passion and death on the cross Christ has given a new meaning to suffering: it can henceforth configure us to him and unite us with his redemptive Passion.

    Catechism 562 Christ’s disciples are to conform themselves to him until he is formed in them (cf. Gal 4:19)…

    Catechism 1523 …The Anointing of the Sick completes our conformity to the death and Resurrection of Christ, just as Baptism began it.

    Catechism of the Catholic Church 2427 …By enduring the hardship of work in union with Jesus, the carpenter of Nazareth and the one crucified on Calvary, man collaborates in a certain fashion with the Son of God in his redemptive work….

  2. I heard an old preacher say
    “There are 12 months in a year. 6 months, I mind my business and the other 6 months, I leave your business alone.”

  3. I have learned over the years that God is always and without exception right.

  4. What you say is true. However, it is very important that we not rush in to try to supply “God’s reasons” for permitting certain evils to come to pass. We too easily forget Isaiah 58:8,9: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts: nor your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are exalted above the earth, so are my ways exalted above your ways, and my thoughts above your thoughts.”

    I have seen someone, presumably with the best of intentions, suggest that “the reason” God permitted the rape, torture, and murder committed by ISIS was to achieve the good of making the West more militaristic. I think we can agree that such a speculation is not just wrong in the sense of being factually incorrect, but morally wrong, in that it is dismissive of the sufferings of others and arguably blasphemous in that it would make God a kind of monster.

    To bring things closer to everyday life, anyone who suggests to the parents of a child that has died that there is some sort of silver lining in that death DESERVES a broken nose.

    So yes, we can trust that God knows what He is doing, and that He has our best interests in mind, but that is often where we should stop, before we cause problems with unfruitful speculation.

  5. God doesn’t try us with bad things. James 1:13; and verses 14-15 tell us the source of our troubles. (Along with Gen ch. 3)
    He permits bad things to come upon us, and purposes to fix all, at one time, at the proper time. Mr 13:32; Rev 16:14,16.

  6. Perhaps it is HIS favorite way to fine tune our spiritual skill of Trust,
    Through Him, With Him and In Hime… Patience is a most precious virtue!

Comments are closed.