John 13:3–10
There are seasons in life when we simply do not understand what God is doing.
A diagnosis we never expected, a prayer that seems unanswered, a relationship that falls apart, a door we were certain God would open that suddenly closes; sometimes the hardest part isn’t merely the circumstance itself, but the not knowing why.
In John 13, Peter finds himself in exactly that kind of moment. Jesus and His disciples are gathered in the upper room on the night before the crucifixion. The disciples have been arguing about who among them is the greatest. Yet instead of asserting His position, Jesus gets up from the meal, takes off His outer clothing, wraps a towel around Himself, and begins washing His disciples’ feet.
When He comes to Peter, Peter protests. “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” Jesus responds with words that reach far beyond that room:
“You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”
John 13:7 (NIV)
Peter didn’t understand what Jesus was doing, but he stayed.
Confusion Is Not Evidence of Weak Faith
It’s easy to assume that spiritual maturity means eventually understanding everything God is doing. The longer we walk with God, the clearer life should become—or so we might think.
But Peter shows us otherwise. He obviously loved Jesus: He had left his career and followed Him, had walked on water toward Jesus, and had confessed that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God. Yet when Jesus did something Peter didn’t understand, Peter’s first response was resistance.
Following God does not mean we will always understand God’s plan.
Isaiah reminds us:
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
Isaiah 55:9 (NIV)
There will always be things God is doing that we cannot fully evaluate from where we stand. Not because we are necessarily spiritually deficient, but because we are finite and God is infinite. Deuteronomy 29:29 gives us an important perspective:
“The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us.”
Deuteronomy 29:29 (NIV)
We are not left with nothing: God has revealed His character, His Word, His promises, and His faithfulness, but He has not promised to explain everything.
Sometimes We Understand Only Looking Back
Joseph’s life gives us one of the clearest pictures of this. At seventeen years old, Joseph’s life seemed full of promise. Then his brothers threw him into a pit, sold him into slavery, and told their father he was dead. In Egypt, Joseph prospered in Potiphar’s house, only to be falsely accused and imprisoned. For years, Joseph had no way of seeing how his suffering could possibly fit into God’s plan. It took thirteen years for the picture to begin to make sense.
Eventually Joseph stood before the very brothers who had betrayed him. He now had the power to destroy them. Instead, he told them, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good.”Joseph could not understand the pit while he was in the pit. He understood it only later, looking back from the palace.
Some chapters of our lives may be like that. We may not be supposed to understand chapter six while we are living in chapter six. Perhaps understanding comes when we reach chapter fourteen and look back.
Job Didn’t Get the Explanation
Job takes this even further. In a remarkably short period of time, Job lost his children, his wealth, and his health. As readers, we are given a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the heavenly conversation surrounding Job’s suffering, but Job never received that explanation.
For forty chapters, Job wrestled with grief, confusion, bad advice, and difficult questions for God. And when God finally answered, He did not give Job the explanation he had been asking for. Instead, God gave Job a greater view of who He is.
Job eventually said:
“My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you.”
Job 42:5 (NIV)
Job’s understanding did not come in the form of a detailed explanation, but through an encounter with God. Sometimes “later” does not mean receiving a memorandum explaining our suffering. Sometimes it means gaining a deeper understanding of who God is.
And sometimes the complete answer may not come until eternity.
Faith Means Trusting What We Cannot See
Why would God allow us to live this way? Why not simply explain everything ahead of time?
One reason is that understanding without trust is not faith. Hebrews 11:1 describes faith as “confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” If we knew exactly what was going to happen and understood every detail of God’s plan beforehand, there would be little left to trust.
God isn’t simply interested in giving us information. He wants a relationship with us, and relationships require trust. The process of not understanding can also produce something in us that an explanation never could.
Romans 5 tells us that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance produces character, and character produces hope. God isn’t merely trying to get us through the circumstance. He is doing something in us through the circumstance.
Stay at the Table
So what do we do when we find ourselves in a “not right now” season? We stay at the table.
Peter didn’t understand what Jesus was doing, but he didn’t walk out of the room. He brought his confusion directly to Jesus and remained in relationship with Him. We can do the same.
Bring your confusion to Jesus.
David did this repeatedly throughout the Psalms. He brought his raw questions and unresolved pain directly to God rather than walking away from Him.
Let confusion coexist with obedience.
Peter didn’t get his questions answered before Jesus washed his feet. We don’t have to understand everything before taking the next faithful step.
Remember what you do know when you don’t know why.
Romans 8:28 reminds us that God works for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. We may not know how He is working, but we can know that He is working. We may not understand the plan, but we can trust His character.
Look for the “afterward.”
Peter’s afterward came at Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came and the church was born. Suddenly, the humility and servant leadership Jesus modeled that night became much clearer.
Joseph’s afterward took thirteen years. For some of us, the afterward may take much longer, and some questions may not be answered until we see God face to face.
One Day, We Will See Clearly
Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 13:
“For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.”
Some of our “why” questions may not be five-year questions, but eternity questions. But when we finally see God face to face, we will see what we cannot see now.
Return once more to that upper room. Jesus, the One through whom all things were created, the King of Kings, was kneeling before Peter and washing his dusty feet. The same hands that formed Adam from the dust would soon be nailed to a cross.
Peter didn’t understand it yet, but later, he would.
He would understand that the King became a servant. He would understand that Jesus was not merely washing feet with water but would soon wash us clean through His blood. He would understand that the posture Jesus modeled that night was the posture He called His church to live with: humility, service, and a willingness to kneel rather than grasp for greatness.
Peter’s “later” came, and ours will too. So when life doesn’t make sense, perhaps God isn’t asking us to understand everything. Perhaps He’s asking us to trust Him.
Don’t run from the room. Don’t pretend you understand when you don’t. Bring your confusion honestly to Jesus, and stay close to Him. Let confusion and obedience coexist. Remember what you know about His character, and trust the hands, even when you cannot trace the plan.
Jesus’ words to Peter are still an encouragement to us today:
“You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”