Rev. Richard Smith
January 23, 2023
| Job 21:29 Have you never questioned…? |
Did you know that on January 18 it was minus 80 degrees in Yakutsk, Russia? It’s the coldest city on earth, and on this date set a record for extreme cold. Can you imagine?…minus 80 degrees.
Among the things crossing my mind upon reading this story was, Why do some folks get to live in the United States in reasonably good weather with manifold life benefits and other folks are born into not so welcome, not so pleasing circumstances?
At a Biblical and theological level, one of the most challenging questions people of faith consider is the question of why things are the way they are; of why God does and does not do certain things; why some suffer much and others suffer little; etc. It’s the lingering question of the Biblical record and of Christian history.
We must begin by acknowledging that God accepts that people may need to question him and his ways. Sometimes, unfortunately, we believers get in a spiritual snit at the challenges others thrust toward God. This is unfortunate. In these moments we aren’t doing God any favors. Our resistance to questioning God presents an authoritarian God who has no room for honest human thinking.
The God of the Biblical faith, the God of Jesus of Nazareth, the God of reasoned perception is a God who understands us; who made us human; not an authoritarian God. Our God is a God of grace. He is a God who truly understands our human needs and tendencies. After all, He incarnated himself in this Jesus of Nazareth and experienced the highs and the lows of the human journey. Secondly, we need to see opportunity for dialogue and spiritual conversation with those who have these lingering questions. From one child of God with another childof God, we can have open minds and open spirits which encourage persons to probe deeply into the ways of God. This probing, with our encouragement, just might be the bridge that leads a doubter to consider some level of trust. While none of us has all the answers, our openness to honest spiritual, Biblical, and theological dialogue can be a means of God’s good work in the life of one who struggles with heartfelt questions
