Why?

Thea is not yet at the age where she constantly asks "why," but that is coming soon. I remember when Trey was young, and everything was "why." Why does pizza taste so good? Why is the sky blue? Why can't I touch the stove? The world is full of puzzles and questions, and young minds want to soak it all in.

The Book of Job is centered around the question "why." Why is there suffering? Why does a seemingly good man like Job go through what feels like hell on earth?

One of the things I love about the Book of Job is that it does not give straight answers, but opens up room for questions. Job struggles. Job debates. Job even confronts God himself. In the end, however, Job has to be satisfied with mystery.

We are not yet there in our reading, but at the end of the book of Job, God shows up and essentially tells Job that God is bigger than us, God is sovereign, and we are not, and we must accept God's plans, even when they don't seem to make sense.

Many books have been written about the problem of pain, but today, I want to linger in the area of mystery. I love straight answers and black-and-white decisions … but I am learning that there is more gray in the world than I wish there was. Even when we know exactly what the truth is, how we express it can be a very nuanced thing.

I believe it is important to know the boundaries. There are things that are declared in the Bible that we have to hang onto. There are other places where we live in tension. We know general outlines, but not certain paths. We know the boundaries of the playground, but maybe not exactly every step we will take in the game.

I don't always do well in those gray areas, but I am trying to learn to do better.

What I love about Job is that we have both clear truths and ambiguous applications. It is clear that God is sovereign, it is certain that God is in control, but we are left hanging while we wonder why people suffer, and why there is so much pain.

This week, as you read the Bible, I encourage you to look for both clear boundaries and places where there may be tension. Let's be clear where the Bible is clear, but let's also allow questions where questions are needed.

This is a growing edge for me, so maybe we can do better at this together in community.

With You;
Pastor Tim