Let’s be perfectly honest. Sometimes it’s hard to understand God. He just doesn’t make the decisions we would make if we were God. For example, if I were God, I definitely would not give rain to the mean, hateful farmers. Only good and fair farmers would get my rain. But the scripture says that God rains on the just and the unjust (Matthew 5:45).
If I were God, only the bad people would die. Good people would live long, happy lives. But the scripture says that sometimes God takes the righteous so they will escape the perils to come (Isaiah 57:1).
If I were God, I would always let everyone know exactly what lies ahead. There would be no question about what I had in mind. It would all be cut and dried, and easy to understand. But scripture says that God has us see through a glass darkly (1 Corinthians 13:12).
If I were God, there would be no suffering in this world. But God says this is not His world; it’s Satan’s world. Therefore, God doesn’t always intervene, so bad things happen that we can’t understand (2 Corinthians 4:4).
If I were God, Christians would not have trials. After all, they are trying to obey God and do what is right. But God says that those who follow Him will have trials (2 Timothy 3:12).
Fortunately for the world, I’m not God. God has a distinct advantage over me. He knows everything and I don’t. For me to judge the decisions God makes for my life or in the lives of others is folly because only God knows when we should get rain and when we shouldn’t. Only He knows when we should live and when we should die. Only He knows when it would be in our best interest to have certain understanding and when it wouldn’t. Only He knows which trials will produce the best results in our lives and which ones won’t. Only He knows how to work in us so He is glorified. You see, it’s not about us; it’s about Him!
That’s why we shouldn’t try to second-guess God by thinking someone else’s trial is easier than ours. We might think, “Why should they get the easy trial and I get the hard one?” or “Why should they be blessed more than me?” But things aren’t always as they seem. We don’t really know what other people are going through. The other man’s grass may only look greener because it needs to be mowed.
If I were God, I would have each of us running the same race. But scripture seems to indicate that each of us has a specific course to run tailor made for us. Our trials are for us, not for someone else (Hebrews 12:1). That’s just one more reason why God is God and I’m not. I try to keep that in mind when it’s raining or when I don’t seem to understand a decision God makes. I need to learn to let God be God.
