Daily Affirmations - Day 1 - Questions and Answers: Brace Yourself

This week's Theme: Questions and Answers

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Day 1: Brace yourself

My little cousin Kaleb* was a "Why?" toddler. From the moment his little feet left the bed in the morning, till well after they were tucked under the covers for the night, an unending stream of "Whys" issued from his every experience, every event, every incident, every episode, every encounter— in short, everything!

"Why, Mommy?" from the kitchen, as his mother patiently helped him navigate the overwhelming world of cups and spoons, plates and bowls, milk and cereal, fruit and toast. "Why?" from the bathroom with its strange sounds of trickle and flow, flush and gurgle; its curious shifts from hot to cold, steamy to foggy.

It didn't matter the response to Kaleb's questions — each answer simply opened the door to the next "Why?". Kaleb, it appeared, could only process the world through "Why?" and incessantly, demandingly, impatiently, he remained stuck in his "need to know", his need to understand the puzzling, complex world around him. And it was challenging to find the appropriate language and relatable concepts to help him make sense of it.

It's hardly surprising that Kaleb grew up to be an engineer. I daresay he figured out some of the answers to his questions along the way. But certainly not all. He still lives, along with the rest of us, in a puzzling, complex world, with its overwhelming pairs, patterns, and random sets; its strange, unnerving hum of trickle and flow, gurgle and flush; and its curious shifts and constant changes.

All through life questions persist. And like Kaleb we try to process the world through "Why?"— incessantly, demandingly, impatiently, clinging to our "need to know," our need to make sense of the staggering scramble of sound and stimuli and sensation.

The struggle is by no means new. Scripture shows us examples of many who have wrestled with some of our same questions, challenges, difficulties and dilemmas. Most notable among them was Job, whose "Whys?" have echoed down centuries of grief, brokenness and pain.

Job's pain was compounded by bleak isolation and his perceived "abandonment" by his friends and by God. But God did finally answer Job after what seemed like unending silence: Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm... (Job 38:1, 40:6).

However, the discourse went nothing like Job had imagined when he longed to "state my case before Him and fill my mouth with arguments (Job 23:4-7). In the end the "Why" lost significance as Job's attention was shifted to the "Who?"— the master Designer, Architect, and Engineer of a vast and complex universe (Job 38-42).

"Brace Yourself...," God told Job, "I will question you, and you shall answer Me" (Job 38:3). And overcome, Job responded: "I know that You can do all things; no purpose of Yours can be thwarted... Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. My ears had heard of You, but now my eyes have seen You. Therefore, I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes" (Job 42:2, 5).

This truth is often difficult for us to accept, but for Job, for us, it makes no difference in the end— the answers to the questions. The ways of God, could they even be explained, are deep, profound, and mysterious— greater far than the enormous difference between master engineer and toddler.

Little Kaleb didn't understand that more important than the answers to the questions that stumped and frustrated him, was his need for the guardians who would shield, nurture, and protect him through the baffling experiences of toddlerhood. In a similar way, we miss this important point in our relationship with God.

As we make our way through the maze and tangle of life, we often focus on the questions that bombard, the doubts that assail. But how much more do we need a guiding Presence, a wisdom that exceeds ours, and a love that whispers— not the answers we believe we need— but the reassurance, "Fear not, I AM with you."

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*Name has been changed