My sister-in-law and I are classical music aficionados. For a number of years, we had season tickets to the Oregon Symphony and greatly enjoyed meeting in downtown Portland for each of the concerts in our season's package. This long-time tradition fed our souls as we enjoyed the beautiful music together and deepened our relationship as sisters-in-law.

Then came COVID-19, with all the worldwide upheaval that ensued. As life began to resume its normal patterns, one of the ticketing options that the Symphony offered was watching the concerts by livestream. I loved being able to enjoy the concerts from the comfort of my own home. No more driving and parking downtown and then walking to the concert hall in the rain or darkness.

Then one day, we were notified without warning that the livestream programming had to be suspended immediately. This was a great disappointment, so I sat down and wrote a heartfelt letter to the president and CEO of the Symphony. I told him how much we had enjoyed the livestream concerts and expressed our hope that the livestream option would resume sometime in the future.

To my amazement, a short time later, I received a lengthy, handwritten reply from the CEO's executive assistant, explaining that livestreaming was very expensive and had originally been funded by a generous grant. The grant had since run out, however, and the Symphony was no longer able to offer the livestream option.

This personal response from the CEO's executive assistant with her sympathetic clarification fully answered my question and laid my disappointment to rest. This answer directly from the top made all the difference.

We all have many disappointments and unanswered questions in life, but we also have the privilege of taking our concerns directly "to the top" — to our loving heavenly Father, Who is also the Creator and King of the universe.

Hebrews 10:19 – And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven's Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. (NLT)

We don't always get the answers to life's problems and disappointments that we want. The Symphony made their livestreaming decision based on information that they alone needed to know, although they were courteous in informing me of the reason. Similarly, God is never obligated to reveal His plans to us, though He may occasionally graciously give us a glimpse of the greater picture as it touches our lives. If I could have trusted the Symphony's decision without ever writing my letter, how much more should we be able to trust our loving, kind, wise God to be working for our good! Even when we wonder if He has heard our prayers, we can trust Him and leave our burdens with Him, knowing that He cares for us.

1 Peter 5:7 – Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. (NLT)

Prayer: Dear Father in heaven, may we fully trust You with our questions and Your answers — whether or not we ever see or understand the outcome. We know that You have everything in control. Amen.