by Steve Higginbotham
Just last week, one of my best friends in college lost his daughter, son-in-law, and little twoyear-old grandbaby to the tornado that swept through Cookeville. As I tried to imagine his pain and grief, I mused over such questions as “What words of comfort can I offer to my friend?” “Why do things like this have to happen to good people?” And a host of other questions that have no completely satisfactory answer.
Regarding the workings of God and his providence, there are many questions that have no answers. Thus, one of the best answers to these perplexing questions is simply, “I don’t know.” However, we don’t like that answer. It doesn’t seem to satisfy. It leaves us wanting more, but sometimes “I don’t know” is all we have. Sometimes “I don’t know,” is not only a good answer but the Scriptural answer.
Friends, as we attempt to speak the oracles of God (1 Peter 4:11) we must understand that what we know about the workings of God is limited to the revelation that God has given us. Consequently, there may be many questions that I have about any number of things, but because God has not revealed the answer, those questions must be answered with an “I don’t know.”
Consider: Why does our environment have to have events like tornados, floods, earthquakes, and hurricanes? Why do good people have to suffer from such events? Why is there such randomness to such storms wherein one house is left undamaged and the next house is totally destroyed? Why must the young die too?
Of course, there are partial answers to all those questions, but there is also an element that demands we simply must say, “I don’t know.” Such an answer is sometimes the only truthful and Scriptural answer to some of our “why?” questions. A biblical “I don’t know,” is much preferred over an extra-biblical opinion. What we must learn to do is turn to God’s word for answers to our questions, and when no answers are given, trust that God is in control, even when it hurts and we don’t understand.