Asking The Wrong Question (Job 38:4)

I recently reviewed a novel written by a former high school classmate of mine. His career has seen amazing successes and since retiring, he has become a successful writer. His latest novel centers around Victor, a middle aged man, searching for his faith and God as he attempts to piece together his life after being fired. The following is an excerpt from the novel.

“God was right, if only there were a God….If that made God happy, then Victor was obliged to serve.” His statement crystallizes his character. Faith is confusing and vital. It is the inevitable contradictions; the absurdities of life; he knows and does not know.

Faith is not a blind leap. It is as blind as attempting to explain why one person falls in love with another. It is real, based upon a series of encounters, of true life experiences. One could explain the encounters and revelations to another, but it would hold little meaning. God cannot simply be explained by empirical reasoning nor can He be solved by an equation, even by the most brilliant philosophers, theologians, or scholars. If He could, He would not be God. Wisdom is understanding that God must be beyond the confines and constructs of the human mind. But this does not mean He is unknowable. We cannot earn or reason our way to God.  One places their trust in Him, as one places their trust in someone they love, on a grander and far more important scale. And when we experience love for ourselves, it is only meaningful to oneself. One could describe it to others, but like attempting to explain faith and God, it would fall on deaf ears until they experience it for themselves.

Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding.

Job 38:4 (NKJV)

Victor’s quandary was the same debate Job had with his friends. His friends attempted to explain the reasons for Job’s sufferings. Job never arrived at an explanation for his pain and suffering but learned directly from God that, instead of seeking the right answers, he was asking the wrong question.

Like Victor, for much of my life, I have been asking the wrong question. It should not be why, but how? How should I take this experience and understand God’s will for my life? How can I learn from this experience and help others? How can I be transformed into the man God wants me to be?

The answer to my questions is Jesus Christ. By confessing and repenting of my sins to Jesus and accepting Him as Lord and Savior, the burden is lifted. Our perspective changes and we are freed from the struggle of demanding an answer and uplifted to the joy of gratitude for what God has delivered unto us. In our confusion and struggle in attempting to provide a rational explanation for God’s sovereignty, we begin to understand that we are eternally embraced and securely held by an omnipotent God.

I asked the wrong question to God. Thanks be to God that He gave me the correct answer!

Love and trust the Lord; seek His will in your life.