Dealing with Life’s Puzzling Questions 

Recently my wife gave me a book of various types of word puzzles. I have enjoyed spending some of my leisure time working through its pages, finding some of the puzzles more challenging than others. There have been a few occasions where I have gotten stuck or simply gave up on completing one of the puzzles. I simply couldn’t come up with the solution. Fortunately, this is one of those volumes that gives answers at the back of the book. I have made use of that resource a few times to peek at one small part of the puzzle in order to get over a hump so that I could continue on to complete the rest of the puzzle. Or in a couple of cases, I had to look up the complete answer. I just couldn’t figure it out on my own.

Sometimes life can be similarly puzzling. We have questions for which there aren’t any easy answers. For example, just this past week the tragic, deadly floods in Texas can raise all kinds of questions. Why didn’t God keep something so terrible from happening? Why did it involve all those innocent children? Why did it happen to a Christian camp? Why didn’t God protect those involved? Such questions can sometimes stop us in our tracks for a while as we reexamine our faith and remind ourselves of the truths we know about God. In some cases, struggles over such puzzling tragedies have resulted in people giving up on God altogether. They don’t get the answer they are looking for, so they close the book and quit trying.

The truth is that we may not always get our questions answered, at least not now. There are some answers available, although they may be limited. However, we also have a book that helps us out with these conundrums in life. God has given some degree of answers in His Word, the Bible. And interestingly enough, like my puzzle book, many of those answers can be found in the back of the book. In that enigmatic book of Revelation, the last book of the Bible, there are truths that help us with some of our questions. It lets us know that in the end good and God will triumph over evil and what is bad. It shows us that there is life after death, a glorious life for those who are trusting Jesus. It informs us that one day God will make all things right. Even when there isn’t justice and fairness in this life, it will all be straightened out in eternity. There is a judgment in which evil and ungodliness will face the consequences of their actions. There is a day when the good will be rewarded. There is a time when there will be no more suffering, pain, and death. Tears will give way to joy. There is a time coming that will be so wonderful and so glorious that the tragedies and sufferings in this life will seem miniscule in comparison. And there is coming a day when we will be reunited with loved ones who have gone to be with the Lord.

There are additional truths in the rest of the Bible that help provide some answers. Truths about living in a fallen world. Truths about a loving and holy God who sees the bigger picture and is working out His wise purposes. Truths about a great God who can even turn tragedies into triumphs.

We will have questions at times, especially when facing difficulties and loss. We may not always have answers this side of eternity. However, we know God is good, faithful, and true. So even when we don’t get all our questions answered, we know that we can trust Him. He Himself is our answer.