How Unfathomable His Ways

             Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! (Romans 11:33 NASB1995)

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! (Romans 11:33 NIV)

 

Same verse, two translations. The NASB1995 is probably closer to the original Greek, but the NIV puts it in simpler language. Most of us don’t think in terms of “unfathomable.”

According to statistics I looked up (but didn’t validate or check for accuracy), novice chess players can see three to four moves ahead. Super grandmasters are reputed to see fifteen to twenty moves ahead. Novices are likely to be distracted by a move made by the opponent, even if it doesn’t interfere with their battle plan. Super grandmasters aren’t likely to care what the opponent is doing to some pawns on the other side of the board. They may even be delighted that the opponent is focusing there. The grandmaster has other plans.

This is why our “Where was God when _____?” and “Why is God doing this to me?” are difficult to answer. We naturally want a direct and immediate correlation. The notion that God might allow us to experience something so that three years from now, we can give advice, and ten years from now, we can intervene to prevent a disaster. Forty years from now, we can thank Him for (once again) having taught us how to cope with some other things because of today.

Or, because of what you experience today, you may make a decision that puts you in a position to help someone because  you have the resources you wouldn’t have if you had gone the way you wanted. God does see the here and now and our difficulties, but He considers them in the light of decades and centuries down the line.