The One Question (that you'd ask God).

If life were so simple, then there would be no hard questions. And if any one of us had all of the answers, then there would be no need to ask anything of God.

But we all know that the 'real world' just isn't like that. No one truly does know it all, and things do often happen to us that defy any sensible explanation.

Last year, for instance, I had a dear friend who . . .

At the end of it all, I was left feeling rather agitated with God. After all, if there really is a loving God - who really is sovereign over (i.e., 'in control of') ALL THINGS, then WHY would He allow such a tragedy to take place? Why?

My suspicion is that just about every question that any one of us would ever want to ask of God probably begins that selfsame way - with the word "Why?".

I have gone through enough of these kinds of tortured moments of life that I will sometimes engage sorry soul with some form of 'counter-intuitive' thinking. In those less painful moments of quiet reflection, I find it invigorating to smack myself back into some semblance of realism by asking myself this one simple question: "If God really did give you the answer to that question, would it truly satisfy the anguish in your soul?" In other words, would I really, truly, accept - as satisfactory - the answer that God gave me to my "Why?".

What if there was some greater good that would come to other people through this 'hard time' of life? Could I accept that as God's answer? Or is it all about 'me'?

And, if I did feel compelled to argue the case before God that all that He does must be for the benefit of 'me', then would I delight in hearing Him tell me that the 'why' behind all of my setbacks in life were part of His all-wise plan to cultivate a more perfect level of Christian 'patience' within me?

At the end of the day, either we trust in the God revealed to us in Scripture . . . or we do not.

He either does "work all things together for the good of those who love Him" (Romans 8:28)

. . or else He does not.

So, although there would probably be some intellectual satisfaction to be gained from God answering my 'why?' question(s) about all the injustices that I see in this world, I'm just not so sure that having an answer would ever extinguish the fire burning in my soul. Only a deep-seated trust in Him "who did not spare His own Son, but freely gave Him up for us all" (Romans 8:32) will allow me to patiently wait until God's great and final judgement day when all the reasons for everything shall be made known to His children.

Jesus Christ . . . my treasure 'above all else' - and treasured even more than an answer to my question "Why?".