Questions and More Questions

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."

Hebrews 11:1 NIV

My grandchildren, Abigail and Joshua, can ask more questions! Sometimes I try to answer them all and other times I don’t know the answers. Sometimes their very young minds cannot comprehend the truth of the answer and so I put them off.

There are some really hard questions in life that beg an answer. We ask God for those answers. Sometimes he tells us, other times he says you cannot understand now but it will be revealed to you later. But one thing I am sure of, God knows all of the answers!

I have come to realize that I really don’t have to have all of the answers. Sometimes God chooses not to provide me with all of the answers so that I can learn to exercise my faith. There have been times in the past that it just seemed too hard to trust God. I needed to know the outcome before I could trust him. A lack of faith has sometimes kept me from trusting God with my life, the lives of those I love, or in some cases it has prohibited me from taking a risk. Other times it has affected my obedience to God because I didn’t feel qualified to do something that God was asking me to do.

Sometimes when I am faced with a project, a new venture, or a life changing decision I become paralyzed with fear because I do not have all of the answers. It is at this point that I reflect on how faithful God has been to me in the past and that allows me to launch out and trust him now because I know that God has been faithful to me in the past, he is faithful in the present, therefore he will be faithful in the future.

It would be my guess that people who do not know the Lord allow the “big questions” to keep them away from God completely. Satan insists on us seeing things with our own eyes and knowing all the answers. Satan encourages us to reject faith. Yet that is exactly what faith is. It is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we cannot see.

Do not be surprised if when you are alone with Jesus in the garden of your heart that all of a sudden Satan comes slithering into your mind whispering lies, raisings doubt, and demanding answers to hard questions like: Why do bad things happen to good people? If God is all powerful, why doesn’t he just fix it? Satan also plants thoughts in your mind that causes you to fear looking foolish and failing.

Trusting God comes by a leap of faith that says, “I don’t know what the future will bring, but I know the One who does know the future and can be trusted,” even if things end badly. God has promised us that he will somewhere down the line use the loss that we experience for our good. God is a god of love and will never leave us or abandon us.

This morning before the birds began to sing I spent time alone with Jesus. As I stepped out onto the deck there was not a bird in sight, I hoped to hear their song of praise to their creator and sure enough, six o’clock on the button the birds began to sing. I couldn’t see the sun as yet but I was certain that it would come up, just as it had everyday of my life. I hoped for the sun, and low and behold, up it came!

Before leaving the deck I begin to think about the beautiful daffodils that bloomed last spring. Now, the daffodils were nothing more than a memory. As I was walking into the house I realized that I do not know the answers to all of the mysteries in life, but just as I am confident that even though the winter snow covers all of the bulbs and the ground freezes, I am certain that I will again see the daffodils of spring. Because of God’s faithfulness in nature I know that I can trust God with all of the other things that I do not see or understand. I have become less dependant upon answers to my many questions but totally dependant upon God and his faithfulness. As always, it was good to be in the garden with Jesus. When I am in the garden I feel God’s peace and amazing love in my life.

Questions:

Have you experienced Satan in your garden?

Do you have a question that keeps tripping you up?

What do you need to trust God for that you cannot see or understand?

Prayer:

Dear God,

Help me by faith to give my unanswered questions to you. Give me your peace so that I will not stumble over unanswered questions but rather bask in the truth that I have come to understand. Help me today to take the necessary leap of faith regarding trusting you. Please take away my doubts and unbelief. Today I also pray that those who are currently experiencing the pain and suffering of an unexplainable event in their life. I pray that they will look to you God, so that they might find strength and courage during this difficult time. I pray that you would also grant them your perfect peace.

In Your Son’s Name I pray. Amen.