“But when He, the Spirit of Truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth”. John 16:13

“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:9

Why? In our own thoughts, discussions between people of faith and between people of faith and those who don’t believe; why is so often a question asked. Why did the hurricane strike? Why did my ____________ (mom, dad, sister, wife, child etc.) die from ____________________? If God is all powerful, why does He let evil exist? These are understandable questions. Some would say these are “good” questions. If we were to be brutally honest with ourselves, we’ve probably asked those same questions in some shape or form ourselves. If we’ve been asked those questions by others, we’ve also probably struggled mightily with an appropriate, satisfying answer.

I don’t understand. Isn’t there a Holy Spirit? Isn’t the Holy Spirit supposed to dwell in us? Isn’t the Holy Spirit supposed to make everything so we can understand it? Well, yes there is a Holy Spirit. Also, yes the Holy Spirit does dwell in us. However, our complete understanding was never a promise concerning the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will guide us to the Truth. Yet we must also understand; that we see something clearly as the truth, doesn’t necessarily mean we are going to understand it, especially to the detail of being able to explain it.

I’ll use an imperfect example/illustration to discuss what I mean. So let’s take the sun for example. Yes it produces heat and light; pretty much everyone would agree with that. Yet if someone asked most of us exactly how the sun goes about doing that; many of us (or at least yours truly) would have difficulty going into an in depth explanation that covers the entire process.

Indeed, you might know that part of the primary process is this thing called fusion where hydrogen atoms are smashed (fused) together which causes the release of great energy. Yet with all these smashing atoms happening, how does gravity hold them all in place enough so they don’t just explode into space. How does a particle of light get created? Also, did you know it can take 30,000 years for a particle of light, created in the interior of the sun to reach the surface and be released? Now I could go on and on with questions which some specialized scientists might be able to answer but I most certainly could not.

What does my lack of solar knowledge have to do with anything? Whether I can explain it or not; one thing is particularly clear; without the sun, life, as we know it, could not exist on this planet. It is crystal CLEAR just how important the sun is, even if I can’t explain all its processes.

Here’s where the grace, the mercy and the love of our Heavenly Father comes into play. You see, Dear Sisters and Brothers; God’s Word, in the forms of the Old and New Testament is His way of bringing clarity to us about His loving nature to us. His Word is not a text book designed to lead us to a perfect understanding of His methodologies and processes. His Word is about being the Light that brings clarity to our relationship with Him and the blessings He desires to share with us.

Why doesn’t God just come out and explain it all to us? When a very little child asks you why the sky is blue; have you ever tried explaining the finer references of Rayleigh scattering in the atmosphere? The simple answer is that we don’t have an adequate frame of reference to allow God to offer the explanation that would lead to our understanding. We live in a linear existence so how are we going to understand being in the past, present and future all in the same instant? What exactly is spirit? Is it some wispy energy thing that glows or……..what?

God tries to get us to understand; His thoughts, His process, His being are beyond, are “higher” than us and our ability to understand no matter how much we might study or research. However, He doesn’t want to leave us in the dark. Therefore, He sent us the One person who intimately knows the Father; the Son. Jesus Christ became fully human to speak to us in human terms. Christ speaks to us of the mercy of the Father, the forgiveness of the Father and especially, the love of the Father.

And as if Jesus Christ were not enough; we are sent, God to dwell in us as the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the Bringer of clarity, the Guide to the truth. A truth that indeed passes all understanding, but a truth that is clearly the most vital to our successful being for all eternity.

So when I’m asked those why questions from others, I have to, in all humility, admit, I don’t know. I don’t understand. Yet I don’t end there. What I also try to get across is; Your question is directed in the wrong direction. You’re asking of another person, another equal act of creation, for insight and understanding of the Creator. There’s only one place to direct that question; to the Creator, Himself. Here’s the miraculously merciful point; the Creator will answer. God wants the question. God craves the question. For it is through the question; honestly asked, open to the Truth of the answer, that God will come and bring His blessed clarity to the questioner’s life.

Our Most Gracious Heavenly Father, we are so thankful for Your Patience and Mercy with us. Thank You for not becoming impatient with our questions and sometimes arrogance that we believe that we can completely understand You. Thank You for the amazing lengths You go to, through Your Word, Your sending of Your Son Jesus Christ and Your Sending of the Holy Spirit to bring clarity concerning Yourself to us. Continue to forgive us when we lose focus on that clarity and turn to the false understanding of the world. Through Your Spirit, guide us back to the Truth and the Light. That by being clear in You, we might become beacons of Your light, helping to live and bring Your clarity to this world so ravaged by confusion and darkness. To the glory of Your Most Holy Name and in the Name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen