Written and media by Maggie Schoepke.
We occasionally receive answers we are uncomfortable with or no response at all when asking questions. Some of us are okay with this uncertainty but others find it nearly impossible to move on without concrete answers. It’s important to accept these uncertainties if we are to flourish in our faith and positively impact other people.
Many people turn away from Christianity because they can’t get past the “missing links” in the religion. While being cautionary towards the unknown is a great skill to practice, it can become unhealthy if taken too far. Becoming absorbed in the details causes us to miss the obvious beauty in what is certain, such as the power of the Trinity and how we are saved through grace (Ephesians 2:8).
To escape this closed-off ideology, a shift in focus is necessary to step into God’s calling. First, consider your purpose in searching for answers. If you are looking to form a snap judgement, you probably aren’t opening your mind to finding the truth. Proverbs 18:2 says,
A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion.”
Adam and Eve found themselves in this same boat in Genesis 3. When the serpent told them they wouldn’t die if they ate from the tree of knowledge, they doubted God’s plan and disobeyed Him by eating from the tree. They weren’t content in the uncertainty before them and the consequence was living under the burden of the things they did not know.
Many of us are like Adam and Eve in this story. We seek to understand the full knowledge of God and try to reason that we deserve it, but knowing comes with a price. We must have faith that there is a reason we aren’t all-knowing like Him. If the Creator of the universe doesn’t want us to have all of the answers, it’s probably to protect us like He was trying to protect Adam and Eve. We don’t have to know everything, just faith that our Heavenly Father is good and knows what He is doing. The writer of Proverbs 3:5-6 recognises this and commands,
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”
While God may not reveal the world to us, He does promise wisdom to those who ask. Jeremiah 33:3 reveals,
Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.”
Similarly, Matthew 7:7 promises,
Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”
Humans have a natural desire for the unknown. However, placing such emphasis on unanswered questions is dangerous because that is God’s role. We are made in His image, but His omniscient nature is unobtainable for us. There is value in shying away from that “tree of knowledge” we all yearn to eat from. In due time, God will reveal all there is to know, but until then, we are to rest patiently in His promises, ask for wisdom, and share with others what we’ve learned.
Keep searching. Keep asking questions. God will reveal what you need to know, not necessarily what you want to know.
