Keys to the Kingdom
By Carolyn Tucker
Forget the Riddles of Life
All curious little kids are the same; therefore, history repeats itself. I can remember being in the kitchen with my mom and asking her one question right after another. Eventually, she got tired of it and her patience flew out the window. I asked another, “Why does this….” and her answer was, “Just to make you ask questions!” Her tone was not as sweet as her first answer had been, so I knew not to ask anything else that day. My own kids did the same thing to me and so do my granddaughters. Answering a few legitimate questions is fine, but a constant barrage of this type interaction becomes annoying. “Why… why… why is water wet?”
I wonder if God sometimes sighs when His children ask Him so many questions that don’t amount to a hill of beans. I suspect most everyone has a gunnysack full of life’s riddles that we can’t solve. Philosophers and scientists have been trying to explain life’s mysteries for years. I don’t believe God gets angry because we ask Him “why” questions; He knows we’re human. But shouldn’t we have an honest understanding that we’re humans and not Almighty God?
Many of God’s ways are past finding out. Job bluntly responds to his so-called friend Bildad: “God stretches the northern sky over empty space and hangs the earth on nothing. His Spirit made the heavens beautiful, and His power pierced the gliding serpent. These are just the beginning of all that He does, merely a whisper of His power. Who, then, can comprehend the thunder of His power?” (Job 26:7,13-14 NLT). These scriptures point out the fact that there’s a million miles between our understanding and God’s.
God didn’t create mankind to be as smart as Him on purpose. We might as well be thankful for God’s unfathomable ways and give our tired brains a rest. We’re liable to blow a gasket if we don’t learn to bury some of our questions in the bosom of our heavenly Father. God tries to help us see that we aren’t going to be able to solve all the riddles in our life. “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9 AMP).
God operates in ways that are beyond our understanding, so we should simply learn to trust His methods and focus on being the best disciple we can be. “Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand His decisions and His ways! For who can know the Lord’s thoughts? Who knows enough to give Him advice?” (Romans 11:33-34 NLT). It’s never advisable to give God a piece of your mind – like me, you don’t have any to spare.
Believers could greatly benefit in pulling away from trying to solve the mysteries in life. Instead, passionately pursue God and His will. His generic will for everyone is found in His Word and His unique, individual will for us is often discovered through prayer. King David penned, “Show me the right path, O Lord; point out the road for me to follow. Lead me by Your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in You” (Psalm 25:4-5 NLT).
The Key: It’s OK to ask God “why” but it could be a waste of your time.