July 2025

Sometimes Things Don’t Make Sense

B. Keith Chapman, President & CEO

Have you ever felt like God was asking you to do something that didn’t make any sense? Maybe it was staying in a difficult job, forgiving someone who didn’t apologize, or taking a risk that seemed completely irrational. In Jeremiah 32, Jeremiah finds himself in a just situation. Jerusalem was being attacked by the Babylonians. The city was on the brink of collapse, and the people were about to be forced out of their homeland. In the middle of this chaos, God tells Jeremiah to buy a field. “Just as the Lord had said he would, my cousin Hanamel came and said, ‘Please buy my field at Anathoth. By law, you have the right to buy it.’ Then I knew that the message I had heard was from the Lord.” Jeremiah 32:8 (NLT).

From a human perspective, this was a terrible investment. Who buys land in a war zone? But God had a deeper purpose. Jeremiah’s purchase wasn’t about real estate; rather, it was an act of faith and hope for the future. God was declaring that even though the land would fall to Babylon, it would one day be restored. “Someday, people will again own property here in this land and will buy and sell houses and vineyards and fields.” Jeremiah 32:15 (NLT).

Jeremiah obeyed, even when the situation made no sense. Why? Because he trusted that God’s plan reached far beyond what he could see. Sometimes, God calls us to do things that don’t align with our logic. It might be a financial decision, a relationship step, or a spiritual commitment. When that happens, we face a choice: will we trust God’s perspective or our own? In Isaiah 55:8-9 (NLT), God reminds us that His knowledge and ways of operation are very different from ours: “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.”

God sees the whole picture. What looks like a loss or waste to us might be part of His greater story. Sometimes, our role is simply to trust and obey, even when it doesn’t add up at the moment. Author Corrie Ten Boom once said, “Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.” After all, isn’t that the very definition of walking in faith? This is exactly what Jeremiah did. He trusted the character of God more than the chaos around him.

You may be in a season where things don’t make sense, where obedience feels risky, and hope seems distant. But make no mistake, God is still writing your story. His ways are higher. His plan is good, even if it’s not yet visible. Trust that He’s not only in the present moment but also in the future outcome.

Challenge:

What step of faith is God asking you to take that doesn’t seem logical right now? Ask the Lord to help you trust His higher ways. Then, take one step forward in obedience, believing that what doesn’t make sense today may be the foundation of His faithfulness tomorrow.

Published: July 1, 2025

Return to Living the Mission library