NO, WE DO NOT HAVE AN ANSWER FOR THAT… YET!
NO, WE DO NOT HAVE AN ANSWER FOR THAT… YET!
“The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.
Deuteronomy 29:29
Beloved Unchained Family, highly estimated friends:
Here we are, before one of the most transcendental ascertainments mankind will ever come to: we do not know everything, neither do we have answers for all questions in life, whether philosophical, academic, theological, ethical or of any nature.
Nonetheless, people hunt for answers, and the reason for that might be vestiges and traces of what happened to all of us in Eden when the Devil tried to instigate Eve with “knowledge of good and evil” and with the unveiling of things God reserved only for Himself; or it could be even mere innate curiosity hardwired in human nature. The fact remains that the more investigative we may be, there will always be barriers and veiled matters that are too far, deep and incomprehensible for our finite human intellect and marginal minds.
On the top hierarchy of questions we have, some like: “Why does God allow evil in the world?”, or “How come life is so unfair?”, or even “If my destiny is already predefined, why should I even bother to interact - or fight destiny, anyway?”, or yet “Why do bad people prosper while the nice ones suffer?”
All these dilemmas have been around for millennia, and there are just no simple reciprocation for each and every one of them. What we do have gathered is information from the Bible, which gives us enough of what we need to know.
When digging into this scenario, we should start observing two important concepts: first, being that God is Omniscient, He does have infinite knowledge, understanding and all the answers, which, in His own time and providence, if so pleases Him, He could share with us, but I know that this is something not intended for now, for sure. Second, the Lord of the universe never planned for us to comprehend everything, it is simply not His designed plan, and that is well described in the verse of the Bible that starts this article.
Being a part of a Christian family since I was born, I can assure you that in my own life path, I have humbly asked the Lord some tough questions, including when I had my sister dying in my arms when she was 43 years old, leaving her husband and two sons to be raised without her. Even though I did not have a response for all of those supplications, the Scriptures led me to assimilate enough awareness that allowed me to live in peace with my limited understanding.
However hurtful it may be to our ego, irrespective of whether we agree or not, the truth is that the Almighty God does not owe us any answers, or anything, for that matter. The apostle Paul reminds us that we are the creation, and He is the Creator, and therefore everything is subject to Him, including us - and our questionings.
With a clear understanding that these are deep and almost unsearchable waters, I would like to offer 3 reasons why the Lord in His mercy does not entitle us to have all the answers:
1. Our feeble minds
Isaiah 55:8,9 says: “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor 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.”
I am convinced that if we knew everything - all our future included - or if we somehow had all the answers, it would simply blow our mind, and we would not survive it. We plainly cannot withstand total knowledge.
Our limits are within the range of whatever the Holy Spirit knows He can teach us, “for the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.”
2. They must not be revealed, for now
The prophet Daniel and John, the apostle, were very familiar with riddles that should be revealed only at the appropriate season, or even at the end of times, and both of their prophetic books corroborate this.
Jesus also grasped and taught this concept and He said to His disciples on a certain occasion: “What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.”
Sure enough, many things that the disciples saw only as a blurry image during Jesus’ ministry, became crystal clear after His death and resurrection, and they were amazed by it.
3. Reminds us of our powerlessness and eternal hope
Every time we observe the greatness and immensity of God and His creation, opposed to our own ignorance, we come to the blunt conviction that we know nothing, yet that humble feeling of impotence helps us to understand how much we depend on our Heavenly Father as well as ignites our faith and blessed hope of spending eternity with Him.
These assertions do not intend to encourage or enforce any excuses for not being persistent and diligent in searching for knowledge and truth, but rather pursue it with a logical and clear understanding of our current limitations.
Perhaps being acutely aware of our dismay for not knowing everything, the apostle Paul gives us comfort and hope when he writes to the Corinthians:
“For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known”.
The verse we started with tells us that even though there are things still covered, the ones revealed in the Word of God must be observed by us, our children and future generations.
Let’s cling to what we do have, with the things we do know, because the providence and divine interventions yet to be revealed, will surpass immeasurably in glory all of our most wild assumptions and anticipations.
Wishing peace, health and many blessings to your body and soul,
Pr. Joshua Mateíne