The "Why" Is Still There

Planning. Organizing. Knowing what is to come. I rely on all of these to remain sane. As someone who grew up with an abnormal amount of anxiety, I can attest to the fear and frustration that can come from feeling lost in chaos. I'm also a realist and I know these three things are not always possible. Deadlines change, limited time prohibits organization and very rarely can I know one hundred percent what is to come.

To combat uncertainty as a child, I would ask a multitude of questions: "When will we get there?", "What are we doing tomorrow?", "What if I feel sick at school? Will I be able to go home?" and "What if my parents don't pick me up and someone else takes me to their house and now I'm in a different family and my parents don't know where I am and… and…?". These questions were my attempt to obtain knowledge of what was to come and to feel safe.

While your questions might not have been as irrational as some of mine, I know you asked similar questions when you were a child. As humans, we have an inherent curiosity that begs to be fed. This search for understanding is of course not reserved for our childhood, nor is it limited to natural things. We begin to question the supernatural and I've found, of all the questions I ask of God, the most frequent is "Why?"

Yes, I ask "when", "how" and "who" quite often but most of my questions still center around "why". Questions like, "Why has this not happened?", "Why is God waiting to answer this prayer?", "Why will this person not come along beside me and support me?", "Why do I feel so unimportant and overlooked?" have been common in my walk with Christ at times and I imagine I'm not alone. We all deal with "why".

As Christians, we know the Lord is in control of all and, in times of triumph and sorrow, He remains constant. So, why do we ask "why"? I believe one of the reasons we ask God "why" so often is because we are uncertain of what is to come. We fear what might be around the corner and we want to be in control. After all, when we are in control, we believe we are able to choose when, where and how life happens.

I haven't found many times where God flat out explained why He was going to do what He was going to do but one such instance was with the Israelites regarding their journey into the Promised Land. In Chapter 23: 28-30 of the book of Exodus (the account of the deliverance of the Israelites from Egyptian slavery) we find a time where God provided the "Why":

I will send terror ahead of you to drive out the Hivites, Canaanites, and Hittites. But I will not drive them out in a single year, because the land would become desolate and the wild animals would multiply and threaten you. I will drive them out a little at a time until your population has increased enough to take possession of the land. (emphasis mine)

In this portion of the chapter, God was explaining to the Israelites He would be with them as they advanced into the Promised Land. I'm not sure if God was trying to stave off more whining from the Israelites or if He was just being verbose in His wisdom but He chose to give them a reason why!

Let's stop and think about this. Would God's reasoning for not driving the current inhabitants of the Promised Land out in a single year change, or be less valid, had He not explained it? Of course not! God is omniscient (a fancy word that means He knows everything) and, as such, He is infinitely better at planning and providing—He knows what is to come! It stands to reason then, even when we don't know why things are the way they are—why God allows certain things to be the way they are—God still remains in control and is the most capable to provide for us.

It's easy for us to feel fear in uncertain times. Maybe your job is to be dissolved soon and you're unsure how you are going to be able to provide for your family. Or maybe you've started a business and it isn't growing as much as you expected. Maybe your family is growing and you have no idea how you are going to be able to afford another mouth to feed. Regardless of our circumstances, we can be certain God has everything under control—even when He doesn't reveal the "why".

As you go throughout your day, catch yourself each time you begin to ask "why" of God. Determine if you are doing so because you are truly seeking wisdom or if you are questioning God's ways. In everything you do, if you work at it for the Lord, He will provide (Colossians 3:23-24). Allow yourself to be content with God's timing and provisions. After all, God's perfect "why" is still there even when it's not made known to us.

From Sponges To Mirrors

Gathering together at church with fellow believers to worship the Lord is an amazing thing. To be able to feel the comfort of God in a group setting produces an atmosphere of hope, belonging and support that are essential to every Christ-follower's walk. Going to church and meeting together with fellow believers is indeed what we are called to do (Hebrews 10:25), but, what happens when the only thing that separates us from the world is that we make an effort to show up at some place once a week to worship and learn about the Lord?

While knowing what God wants in our lives by studying the Bible, praying, and meeting with fellow believers is important, a healthy walk with Christ is not defined by having vast knowledge about Him - it is defined by seeking God's will in our lives and then actually applying what we've learned. We are not called by Christ to be sponges alone (that is to learn, learn and then learn some more), we are called to be mirrors - to actually do what we've been taught!

In John 13, we see a great example of a time where Jesus is giving the disciples an opportunity to soak in what He is teaching (v. 15) and then calling them to mirror Him. We read of Jesus, the Son of God, washing the feet of His disciples showing them that "slaves are not greater than their master" (v. 16). In other words, if Jesus, the Savior of the world, will stoop down and wash the feet of mere mortals, there is no one who should not be willing to stoop down and help others as well, regardless of who they are. After Jesus' instruction to His disciples, He seals the deal by telling them to mirror what He has taught them, "Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them" (v. 17, emphasis mine).

It is true that knowledge about God's word is important in order for us to be mirrors of Christ and, yes, we all must be sponges sometimes in order to become cleaner mirrors, but, if all we do is soak in information in order to feed our brains and don't actually apply what we learn then we are way off from where Christ wants us.

Do you put more emphasis on obtaining knowledge rather than actually applying what you know? If you are a new believer, it is obvious that you won't have as much knowledge of how God wants you to live as a veteran believer would. That is ok! Read your Bible, go to church and seek out the counsel of fellow-believers but do not let the soaking in of knowledge be what defines you as a Christ-follower! Regardless of where you are in your walk with Christ, make every effort you can to actually apply what you know! It will be then that you will be Continuously Overwhelmed with Blessings.

The Wisest Counselor

As humans, we are characterized by the inability to make a decision that takes every single piece of information into account. Decisions like where to live, what car to buy, who to marry, who to hang out with and how to live our lives are very important decisions that can have major consequences if the right decisions are not made. Because we are finite (or limited) in the amount of knowledge that we possess, those of us who are wise seek counsel when making a decision that requires a lot of attention to detail. To facilitate our efforts in making sure our decisions take into account as much information as possible, we have devised practices like checks and balances, boards of directors, congress, etc. Even so, none of us are perfect and, more times than not, our decisions turn out lacking complete wisdom.

So when hard decisions come our way, what should we do? Should we depend on human knowledge to help us through? No, as Christians we have the awesome ability to know the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:10-16). Through the light of Holy Spirit's direction and the Word of God, we are able to find our footing and walk where the Lord guides us. Sadly, instead of seeking the wisdom and counsel of God found in the Bible and through fellowship with Him, many times we seek the counsel of those who who think that the guidance of the Holy Spirit is foolish (1 Corinthians 2:14)--those who are not Christ-followers. The problem with seeking the counsel of those who believe the Word of God is foolish is that we're back at square one: the counsel we are receiving is fallible and does not take all information into account.

Isaiah 40:12-15 reminds us that, when it comes down to it, God knows everything and His counsel cannot be topped, "Who else has held the oceans in His hand? Who has measured off the heavens with His fingers? Who else knows the weight of the earth or has weighed the mountains and hills on a scale? Who is able to advise the Spirit of the Lord? Who knows enough to give Him advice or teach Him? Has the Lord ever needed anyone’s advice? Does He need instruction about what is good? Did someone teach Him what is right or show Him the path of justice? No, for all the nations of the world are but a drop in the bucket. They are nothing more than dust on the scales. He picks up the whole earth as though it were a grain of sand."

Do you allow the will of God to be your ultimate decision maker? Do you involve prayer, meditation of scripture and fellowship with fellow believers in all of the decisions you are faced with? God is so much bigger than what we comprehend Him to be; we have no room to boast about our wisdom because the wisest of counsel here on Earth is much worse than even the least from God (1 Corinthians 1:25). No one can teach Him and no one can trump His knowledge. So, as Christians, the deciding factor in all that we do should be His will. We must meditate on the Word of God and allow our lives to conform to the life He wants for us, not the patterns of this world. Throughout your day, be aware of the amount of decisions you make and strive to seek the counsel of God in order to find what it is He wants you to do. You will find that His counsel is perfect and just, and through your trust in Him, your relationship with and dedication to Him will grow.