(c) 2009, Amy S. Lewis
There are so many mysteries with Ernie. Why does he chomp on his bit or flap his lip when he’s nervous? Why does he prance when he can cover more ground at a walk? Why does he always have to lead when we’re with a group? There are many days I wish he could answer my questions.
I also have a lot of questions for God. Will the people I’m praying for ever accept Christ? Why does God darken the minds of some? Why do young children get cancer and die? Why do some people’s bodies outlast their minds? Why did his plan for our salvation require Jesus to come to earth as a baby or die on a cross? After all, it’s God who said the wages of sin is death. Surely he could’ve prescribed an easier way for our sins to be forgiven.
Seek Answers in Prayer
God can only answer our questions if we bring them to him in prayer and wait on him to answer. He doesn’t mind our questions and our doubts. In Matthew, he says “Come to me all of you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest.” Well, isn’t it when you’re struggling for answers to life’s difficult questions that you’re most burdened or weary? That’s when he says come to me.
It’s Called Faith
And like questions about Ernie go unanswered, some questions for God won’t be answered this side of heaven. Some things about God we’re not meant to know. If we knew everything about the ways of God, we would not be in awe of him when he heals the sick, reconciles marriages and gives life to sinners. Trust in the uncertainty. That’s why it’s called “faith.”
Ecclesiastes 11:5: “Just as you cannot understand the path of the wind or the mystery of a tiny baby growing in its mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the activity of God, who does all things.”
Ecclesiastes 3:11: “Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.”
Questions for Reflection:
1. If you could ask your horse a question or two, what would they be?
2. What questions do you have for God? Bring them to Him in prayer.
3. How can you gain a better appreciation for God’s authority today, in spite of your questions?
