Isn’t it interesting how we pray for peace that passes all understanding and when He gives it to us we don’t usually question why. Yet, when we have problems we can’t understand we cry out – Why? Why? Why? Why? We think we could deal with the problem better if we could just understand it. Its reason. Its purpose. Its source. Its….
Our problem is not problems or peace. It is faith! “Without faith it is impossible to please Him.” (Heb 11:6) If we have faith in times of peace without understanding then the test is to have the same faith in times of problems without understanding. We think we want to know why we have problems. Why God, is this happening to me? Why God, am I suffering? Why God, are you allowing this or that to come upon me or my loved one?
We want to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. We think if we could just know if what we’re going through is good or evil we could better deal with it. We suspect God is hiding something from us, something that would give us more control. If we just knew why then we could deal with it, or, at least, that is what we tell ourselves.
Or, are we listening to the Father of Lies. “Did God say you couldn’t know why, that you couldn’t even ask why? Did He tell you not to search for the why? God is keeping knowledge from you. Knowledge that will help you?”
Isn’t knowledge good for us? Wouldn’t knowing/understanding ‘why’ look better, sound better, and give us a sense of pride. When telling others about our problems wouldn’t it be better to be able to say, “God told me that I’m suffering because….” From the world’s perspective, there are shades of shame in not knowing why (Read the book of Job). There must be a reason for your suffering. Shame is placed on us when we suffer without knowing why. Especially as a Christian, we can feel a sense of shame when we go through problems.
Kernels of truth mixed with the lie. God never said it is wrong to search for the why. Still, we think we need knowledge/understanding but what we need is faith/trust. Seeking for knowledge/understanding of why is not a bad thing when the search is resting on faith.
How do we know if our search is resting in faith? If the search is void of answers, or an answer that satisfies you, is faith still there? Is there still a rest in faith? Or, is there a heart of doubt in God? The same question can be asked from either a heart of doubt or a heart of faith (Lk. 1:18, 34). Does the search for why drive us beyond faith? Peace is a product of faith. Do you have peace in the midst of the search for understanding? Do you have peace when the answer to ‘why?’ is no? You do know, don’t you, that ‘no’ is as legitimate an answer as ‘yes’? Is your peace dependent on gaining understanding? “God, if I just knew.” Can you live in peace if you stop the search? If you are being shamed for suffering can you rest in faith (Job 19:25)? Is shame driving the desire for knowledge/understanding?
When seconds of waiting, searching, waiting turns into minutes, minutes turn into hours, hours turn into days, days turn into weeks, weeks turn into months, months turn into years, and years turn into decades does faith prevail over moments of doubt? Does peace fill moments of disillusions, disappointments, and despair? Does rest overpower moments of bitterness, anger, and distrust?
“This is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.” (1 Jn 5:4)
