November 20 I Sunday

Ezekiel 14-15

James 2

“Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite.”   —Psalm 147:5 NKJV

One clear winter evening, a father and his son were taking a stroll around the neighbourhood. The son asked his father, “Dad, how far away is the moon?” The father said, “I don’t know, son.” They walked on and after a while, the son said, “Dad, how many miles is it across the moon?” The dad said, “That’s an interesting question, son, but I don’t know.” They walked on in silence and the son asked, “Dad, how far away is the nearest star?” The father said, “It is a very long way but I don’t know exactly how far it is.” A few steps later, the son said, “Dad, I hope you don’t mind me asking you all these questions.” And the father answered, “Not at all son, you never learn anything if you don’t ask questions.”

       Children are curious about everything. Someone has said there is a point in a child’s development when their mind is shaped like a question mark. Every sentence seems to begin with the word “why,” “how,” “who” or “what.” Sometimes, we may feel like we have got to come up with an answer for them, but Deuteronomy 29:29 tells us, “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children for ever, that we may follow all the words of this law.” The worst thing we could do is to find the answer to everything. Rather, we need to be confident about the things that God has revealed, while at the same time, be cautious and humble about the things that have not been revealed to us.

       There was a book published in the 14th century called The Cloud of Unknowing by an anonymous writer. The basic thesis of the book is that in all the little bits that we know, there is a cloud of unknowing. We come to realize that there are lots of things we do not know about God and life. Thomas Edison once said, “We don’t know a millionth of one percent about anything.” Similarly, Albert Einstein echoes, “The more I learn, the more I realize how much I don’t know.”

       We all have a cloud of unknowing but that should not stop us from being curious about God and shy away from asking questions about Him. In Michael Yaconelli’s book Dangerous Wonder, he says it is a good thing when a child questions because it is not about finding answers, it is about building a relationship. As we seek to adopt a childlike faith, may our curiosity stir in our hearts a desire to know the infinite God.

Prayer: Infinite God, You are too great for me to fully comprehend. Deepen my relationship with You as I seek after You. Thank You, Lord!