Who Knows?
“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
“For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?”
“Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?”
For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.”
Have you ever found yourself questioning God? I don’t mean questions like, “Lord, what is Your will for me in this situation?” or “Please help me understand this passage of Scripture, Lord.” I mean questioning Him – or something that He is allowing or doing (or not doing) – with a hint of skepticism or doubt (though we would scarcely want to admit it). Perhaps, if the situation warrants it (in our minds), we may even subject God to an inquisition of sorts – an interrogation, if you will.
These questions may sound more like, “What are You doing, Lord?” or “Why aren’t you healing this righteous brother, yet You are healing this other ‘meatball’?” “Why did this person have to die when we were all praying so hard?” “I have been praying for this person to come to Christ for thirty years; why are they not saved yet?” “Why does that innocent child have to suffer in that way?” “What did I do to deserve this?”
At their root, these questions all have one thing in common; they reveal that we think we have the right to know as if God owes us an explanation for everything He does. Sometimes, people will even use these questions to justify their lack of faith or refusal to believe or trust in Him. But what it really boils down to is simple pride. Just like we think our children, our spouse, our employer, or our government owes us an explanation for everything that we question or want to understand, we expect God to answer for and explain the things He does. We seem to forget that He is God; we are not.
“But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, ‘Why have you made me like this?’”
I have yet to meet (or even hear of) a fellow human being with even one of God’s many unique characteristics, such as omniscience, omnipresence, omnipotence, or absolutely flawless wisdom. So, are we really in a place to question Him?
I don’t think God is offended by our questions, per se. After all, He created us with the ability to think, question, and discover. He gave us curiosity and the desire to understand. What crosses a line, though, is when we allow our quest for understanding to lead us into the arena of questioning His character. We can go off the rails rather quickly if we begin to doubt His goodness, love, or faithfulness. Sometimes His love is expressed most significantly when He gives us what we truly need rather than what we want. He is far more concerned with our long-term spiritual growth and well-being than our temporary, earthly comforts. And each person’s path of spiritual growth is different – none of us follow the same path. Some of us need more intense discipline than others; some respond better to a gentler approach. He knows precisely what each of us needs and when we need it. The key is, He does it all in His infinite love for us and for our ultimate good.
Since we can’t see the whole picture (unlike our Father does), we don’t always understand the purpose behind the events of our lives, or the lives of others. The passage above says that His ways are inscrutable. Check out the definition of that word:
inscrutable
ĭn-skroo͞′tə-bəl
adjective
Difficult to understand or interpret; impenetrable.
Unsearchable; incapable of being searched into and understood by inquiry or study; impossible or difficult to be explained or accounted for satisfactorily; obscure; incomprehensible.
Difficult or impossible to comprehend, fathom, or interpret.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
That’s where we must let go of pride and humbly accept that we don’t and can’t know everything. Some things God has revealed to us in Scripture and the person of Jesus Christ, and some things He keeps to Himself.
“The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.”
As Creator, it’s His prerogative to decide what, when, and if to reveal things to us, His creation. Sometimes, He does give us a glimpse, but it takes a while before we begin to see or understand. If we wait long enough, we can often look back and say, “Oh! That’s what He was doing!” And shortly after we have that thought, we sheepishly say to ourselves, “Boy, am I glad He didn’t listen to me back then! That would have been a disaster!” But many times, we don’t get an answer. We’re left wondering. Maybe someday, when we’re with Him in glory, He will reveal more of the details to us. But even if He doesn’t, that’s OK.
We need to trust His character, and His character is uncompromisingly and infallibly good. There is no malice or questionable motives in Him, only the most profound love for those He has called to be His children for eternity. Praise be to His holy name!
“Our soul waits for the LORD; he is our help and our shield.
For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name.
Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us, even as we hope in you.”
