Unanswered questions.

If you were able to ask God one question, what would it be?  There could be a myriad of answers to that one!  Many of us might find it difficult to come up with just one question when we have so many for which we would like answers.  For me, it probably wouldn't be one of the enormous and regularly quoted questions such as "how can a God of love allow so much suffering in the world?"  My question would be more likely to be to do with understanding why God allows some of his most faithful followers to die at a relatively young age.

When I was a Minister in Sheffield I had a very close friendship with an Anglican colleague called Alan.  He was a lovely, godly, prayerful man, and he and I worked closely in encouraging prayer in the area.  I was desperately sad when I learned that he had contracted cancer.  Many of us prayed for Alan's healing, yet although he did experience a period of remission, he eventually died.  I vividly remember walking the streets of Sheffield one dark night, with tears streaming down my face; the question "why?" was at the forefront of my mind.

More recently, my brother Phil has been through a similar experience to Alan, as I have written about previously in my blog. People all over the world have prayed for Phil ever since he was first diagnosed with terminal cancer in April 2015.  As we read the gospel records we see that every time someone came to Jesus for healing, he responded positively to their request.  What's more, he instructed his followers to continue his work, 'He sent them to proclaim the gospel and heal the sick' (Luke 9.2).  I know that God still heals today, and for a time Phil was remarkably restored to health.  His witness through the tough times of his illness was inspirational.  And yet he still died, aged just 55. So what are we to make of those kind of situations?  How do we respond to questions for which we receive no complete answer?

When we don't understand why God has allowed something to happen and our prayers have not been answered in the way we had hoped, it seems to me that we have a clear choice.  We can either give up on God, or we can continue to trust him even in the unknowing.  There was a time in Jesus' ministry when many of his followers turned away from him, feeling that the going was too hard.  Jesus turned to his twelve disciples and asked them whether they were going to desert him, too.  Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life' (John 6.68).  If we give up on God. what's the alternative?

I firmly believe that God's word to me is to continue to trust him, and to believe that he can use even the worst situations for good.  Painful as Phil's death is and will remain, many good things will come from the legacy of his life.  The greatest comfort, perhaps, is that we know that those who put their faith in Jesus Christ have the wonderful assurance of life eternal; death is not the end, it is a doorway into the very presence of God!  I know that Alan and Phil are safe and secure in God's loving care, and experiencing the reality of God's promise:


‘Look! God’s dwelling-place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death” or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away' (Revelation 21.3&4).

This is wonderfully captured in Matt Redman's song, 'One Day (When We All Get To Heaven)'

In this life we won't get all the answers we seek.  I've come to the point where I am at peace with that truth; I will trust in God, even when I don't have the answer.