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Greg Laurie Daily Devotion - June 11, 2012

Promises, Not Explanations

Therefore, it was necessary for him to be made in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Then he could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people. - (Hebrews 2:17)

If God were to actually tell you why certain things happened as they did, would that erase your pain or heal your broken heart? Let’s imagine for a moment that God said, “Okay, okay. I am tired of your asking. Now I am going to tell you. Are you ready? Write it down. I did it for this reason. . . .” And then He gives you the reason.

What would you do next? Would you say, “Oh. Okay. Great. Praise God”? Probably not.

You probably would say, “I don’t agree with that. That makes no sense to me, Lord. I mean . . . I am sorry.”

That is probably why God doesn’t give us His reasons for doing what He does. We live on promises, not explanations. We shouldn’t spend too much time asking why. Instead, we should be asking what? As in, What am I supposed to do? You are to turn to the Lord.

Jesus weeps with us in our time of pain. Yes, Jesus is God, with all of His power and glory. But He also was a man. And He was a man who felt our pain and sorrows.

Isaiah 53:3 tells us, “He was despised and rejected—a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.” Jesus knows. He voluntarily put himself in the way of danger to bear our sorrows on the cross.

Why would He do this? The Bible gives us the answer: “Therefore, it was necessary for him to be made in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Then he could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people” (Hebrews 2:17).

If it breaks your heart, then it breaks His as well.

Summary sentence: What breaks your heart?

Tags: promises, explanations

Copyright © 2012 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

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