In Other Words ~ "The Answer"

"I know now, Lord, why you utter no answer.

You are yourself the answer.

Before your face questions die away.

What other answer would suffice?"

~ C.S. Lewis 

This quote sums up what has been probably the biggest lesson God has taught me in the past few years...that there are some questions to which we will never know the answer until we see Jesus face to face...and that it is entirely possible that at that point, the questions and their answers simply won't matter anymore.  

There are some things...certain doctrines, various circumstances, aspects of God's character, and many of our trials...that we will never understand in our finite minds.  One of the wisest Bible scholars I know once said (and I am paraphrasing greatly here, as I can't remember the exact wording used) that there are some things (referring at the time to a specific doctrine) that we will never be able to completely understand...because God is God, and we are not.  His thoughts and His ways are so much higher than ours that there is no way we could possibly understand them all...and at that point, we simply have to trust.  

For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
   neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.
 For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
   so are my ways higher than your ways
   and my thoughts than your thoughts.

~Isaiah 55:8-9

I have so seen in the past few years the truth of the above quote, and been reminded of the words to the old Scott Wesley Brown song...

When answers aren't enough, there is Jesus

He is more than just an answer to your prayer

And your heart will find a safe and peaceful refuge

When answers aren't enough, He is there.

There are times when there simply aren't answers.  There are times when even if God gave us the answer, we wouldn't be able to understand it.  There are times when if we did understand it, it wouldn't necessarily help.  He has begun to show me in recent years that in those times, we realize what is always true...that HE is the answer.  We don't need answers...we need HIM.  We need His presence, we need to see Him more clearly and know Him more intimately.  We need to focus, not on our circumstances or on our questions, but on His face.  Then, when we have turned our eyes upon Jesus and looked full in His wonderful face, as another old song says, "the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace."  ("Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus", Helen H. Lemmel)

A friend posted this song on Facebook this morning....it was one of those times when a new song (and a new-to-me artist) really grabbed my heart.  I read these words from an interview with Laura Story about this song and the things she is learning through her husband's brain tumor...

What does it look like when I spend years praying for healing for my husband that never comes? I feel like we’ve gotten to a place of having to make a choice- are we going to judge God based on our circumstances that we don’t understand? Or are we going to chose to judge our circumstances based on what we hold to be true of God? I’m learning that every morning when I wake up, to choose to trust God. And that’s what “blessings” is about. It’s just considering… MAYBE THE BLESSING IS ACTUALLY FOUND IN THE ABSENCE OF THE THING THAT I’M PRAYING FOR.

-Laura Story

I am excited to be hosting In "Other" Words today, and I also owe a huge apology to all those participating this week.  I somehow didn't get my hosting date on my calendar and completely overlooked the fact that this was my week!   My apologies to any who may have looked for this week's post earlier in the day...I'm sorry for any inconvenience that may have caused. 

I do hope that you will join us this week...just post your thoughts on the above quote on your blog, and then come back here to post your link on inlinkz.  Then be sure to visit the other participants and leave a word of encouragement in their comments!  Thank you for participating this week!