Trusting the Rule Maker

I was reading this morning in Mark 9:19-29 about the healing of the young boy with a demon. In the passage it talks about how the disciples tried to give it a go driving the demon out but were unsuccessful. Jesus shows up and gets the job done. The disciples expressed to Jesus confusion at why they were unable to do this and His reply is "This kind can come out only by prayer." (v.29) As I read this verse I began to wonder if in hearing this the disciples didn't think "Stop changing the rules Jesus!". I'm not going to lie, if I were them that's what I'd be thinking. After all, at this point He had given them "authority to drive out evil spirits" (Matthew 10:1) and they had already been actively doing just that. Now here they are in a situation where they find themselves unsuccessful and Jesus tells them that it's because they were doing it wrong. Seems a little frustrating. I kind of feel like that's what happens in my life sometimes. I feel like I'm on track. I'm seeking the Lord, He's working, I'm being obedient to whatever He's calling me to on this part of my journey, and then it happens. Something unexpected pops up, a disappointment hits a deep place in my heart, I feel the sting of unmet desires and expectations. That's when I want to say "Stop changing the rules Jesus!" Recently I've been playing a song over and over that addresses this issue. The name of it is...wait for it...."God Moves in Mysterious Ways." The part that's been speaking the most to my own somewhat confused spirit follows:

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense

But trust Him for His grace

Behind a frowning providence

He hides a smiling face

His purposes will ripen fast

Unfolding every hour

The bud may have a bitter taste

But sweet will be the flower

Blind unbelief is sure to err

And scan His work in vain

God is His own interpreter

And He will make it plain

In His own time

In His own way...

Honesty compels me to confess that my least favorite part of those lyrics is the fact that God is His own interpreter and He'll make it plain when He's good and ready. However, my own life experience (short though it may be) also compels me to admit that it's true that I'm judging the journey He lays out for me with some quite feeble sense; and that many times I've seen evidence of His smiling face and the sweetness of the flower (even in the midst of the bitterness). So as much as I want to question God's rules of the game for my life at this particular moment I'm going to choose to sit still and let God unfold what He will when He's ready. I look forward to maybe telling you about it on here someday.