One of the reasons God rarely gives micro reasons for his painful providences, but regularly gives magnificent macro reasons, is that there are too many micro reaons for us to manage,namely, millions and millions and millions and millions and millions.
God says things like:
- The bad things happened to you because I intend to work it together for your good ( Romans 8 )
- These happened so that you woould rely more on God who raises the dead ( 2 Corinthians 1 )
- This happened so that the gold and silver of your faith would be refined ( 1 Peter 1 )
- This thorn is so that the power of Christ would be magnified in your weakness ( 2 Corinthians 12 )
But we can always object that there are other easier ways for God to accomplish those things. We want to know more specifics: Why now? Why this much? Why this often? Why this way? Why these people?
The problem is, we would have to be God to grasp all that God is doing in our problems. In fact, pushing too hard for more detailed explanations from God is a kind of demand that we be God.
… God cannot make plain all He is doing, because there are millions and millions and millions and millions of effects of every event in your life, the good and the bad. God guides them all. They all have micro purposes and macro purposes. He cannot tell you all of them because your brain can’t hold all of them.
Trust does not demand more than God has told us. And He has given us immeasurably precious promises that He is in control of all things and only does good to His children. And He has given us a very thick book where we can read story after story after story about how He rules for the good of His people. Let’s trust Him and not ask for what our brains cannot contain.
John Piper, July 14, 2008