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I JUST DON'T GET IT! by Darrin Faris
Since
childhood we all have been compelled to ask
questions. Many answers we have heard through
the years have surely failed to meet our
expectations and oftentimes have fallen short of
satisfying our burning curiosities. As children
many times our parents responded to our
questions of "Why?" by simply saying "Because I
said so."
Does
our existence make us worthy of the answers to
all questions in life? Do we need or deserve to
know the answers to all questions or the reasons
why things are the way they are? Is a "show me"
mentality necessary for all things? In a society
that encourages the aggressive pursuit of
answers,
very often an unquestioning faith in God
is looked upon as being a sign of weakness.
Nothing could be farther from the truth.
Joshua was asked to not only believe the
seemingly impossible, he was told to do the
impossible. Joshua was a man highly trained in
military strategy, battle techniques, and the
effective use of weapons of war. When faced with
the task of destroying a city like Jericho, his
mind most assuredly filled with plans of attack,
weapons, casualties, and all other concerns
faced by any military commander. However, this
military man was instructed to march around the
city of Jericho once each day for six days and
then seven times on the seventh day followed by
shouting and the sounding of trumpets. How did
this military man react to such a ridiculous
notion? He reacted with complete obedience
resulting in one of the most crushing military
defeats in history.
Noah
was asked to build a large vessel to carry his
family to safety from an impending world-wide
flood. In addition to his own wife, his three
sons and their wives, Noah was to take males and
females of all animals of the earth into this
ark. All else would be destroyed by water
leaving Noah and his family to replenish the
earth. This was all to occur by flooding from
beneath the earth and rains from above, a
phenomenon which prior to this time had never
been seen. How does a man react to such
instructions? Did he question the impossibility
of water coming from beneath the earth and from
the heavens above? Did he question his own
ability to fulfill his role in the plan? During
the building of the ark he surely grew weary of
the ridicule he must have heard by all those
around him. Why would anyone require such a
large vessel on dry land? Noah's reaction to
God's spoken word, no matter how questionable it
might have seemed, was
"according
to all that God commanded him, so he did." A
complete understanding of the impending events
was not required prior to Noah's obedience.
A
young woman having never been with a man was
told she would soon bear a son. She was told her
child would become the Savior of the world and
that her son would indeed be "the Son of God."
The absurdity of such a notion from a physical
standpoint was obvious. Such a conception was
nothing less than miraculous and she knew it.
The sociological ramifications of her motherhood
outdistanced even the physical impossibility of
this birth. Mary and her betrothed husband-to-be
were from Nazareth, a city generally spoken of
with great scorn, and the two of them were quite
poor. Their financial standing, their heritage,
and their social status in the world made their
giving birth to the Son of the Almighty God a
questionable notion to say the least. Upon
receiving this news from the angel Gabriel her
initial response was a simple question of "How?"
A simple explanation was given leaving her with
only one final response:
"Let it be
to me according to your word." How can this
incredible notion be received with such little
concern for the
'hows'
and the
'whys?' The answer is simple. The faith of
Mary and Joseph surpassed their desire for
complete understanding.
The
young man in the cartoon questions the
usefulness of at least a portion of his
education. Perhaps he is simply desiring to know
why such an effort is needed for something that
to him is useless. God's instructions and
requests have at times seemed questionable.
However, history tells us that rather than
questioning God's decisions, an increase in
faith may be the answer. We do not need to know
why everything is the way it is. We don't need
to understand the reasoning behind God's
decisions.
Perhaps with a faith like Joshua, Noah, Mary and
Joseph, the only answer we would ever need might
be "Because God said so."
* * * * * * *
LORD, my heart is not haughty, nor my eyes
lofty.
Neither do I concern myself with great matters,
nor with things too profound for me.
Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a
weaned child with his mother; like a weaned
child is my soul within me.
Israel, hope in the LORD from this time forth
and forever.
(Psalm 131:1-3) |
