The Question - January 31, 2018

An Arkie's Faith column from the January 31, 2018, issue of The Mena Star.

When I was a teenager living in Loveland, Colorado, I spent a lot of time in my bedroom listening to my stereo. When I started buying records, one of the first ones that I bought was Days of Future Passed by The Moody Blues. In the fall of 1972, the song Nights in White Satin was in heavy rotation on the radio. The Moody’s had re-released the single from 1967, and it became a big hit. Because I loved the song, I purchased the album Days of Future Passed.

I can still remember the first time I put the record on the turntable. Classical symphonic music greeted my ears. I wondered what kind of record this was. It was over five minutes before the orchestral music segued into the vocals of Dawn is a Feeling. Throughout the rest of the record, the Moody Blues tracks alternated with interludes from the London Festival Orchestra. That record made an impact on me. I loved the record from start to finish.

The idea of a Days of Future Passed 50th-anniversary tour had been on the Moody Blues members' minds since 2015. The idea was to perform the album live in its entirety. When I first heard about the project, I thought it would be wonderful to see them perform Days of Future Passed in concert, but never imagined I would be able to. When I found out that they would be in Tulsa at the BOK Center, I purchased tickets. The concert was amazing. The first half included a number of songs from their extensive catalog and the second half was the album Days of Future Passed. After the last strains of music faded away, the audience erupted in massive applause. As the Moody’s returned to the stage for an encore, they played their 1970 hit, Question.

“Why do we never get an answer when we're knocking at the door; with a thousand million questions about hate and death and war?” As I listened to the song, my mind wandered to some of the current drama in my life. My Mom has been very ill, and it seems that we haven’t been able to get the medical care that she needs. There have been family issues and personal issues and a lot of stress. I have to admit that I have asked God why all of this is happening to my family.

We may ask the question "why me?" but 1 Peter 4:12 (ICB) tells us, "My friends, do not be surprised at the painful things you are now suffering. These things are testing your faith. So do not think that something strange is happening to you.” Jesus Himself said in John 16:33 (NET), “I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In the world you have trouble and suffering, but take courage—I have conquered the world.”

When trouble and suffering seem do dominate our lives, it's not surprising that we would ask the one-word question, "Why?" That "why" can pack so much emotion, such as confusion, desperation, or even anger. But as we sort through our feelings, our questions, our doubts, it is good to remind ourselves that a loving God always hears us. He always cares about us.

The Bible makes a startling statement about the tough times in our lives. “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.” James 1:2,3 (NASB)  I don’t know about you, but I am not looking for tough times, and I’m not looking for more endurance. But the Bible says that I should consider it a joy.

I find that in my life, doubt creeps in because I can’t stand unanswered questions: Why is there suffering? Why do innocent people suffer harm but guilty people go free? Where is God when something terrible happens?

The lyrics of the Moody Blues, Question, seems to speak to me. “But in the grey of the morning, my mind becomes confused. Between the dead and the sleeping and the road that I must choose. I'm looking for someone to change my life. I'm looking for a miracle in my life.”

I’m looking for change in my life. I’m looking for miracles. At times, like me, you may wonder where God is, and what He is doing. Life can go very wrong at times. It may test your sanity and your faith. But you are not alone. Job, Paul, Elijah, John the Baptist, and even Jesus went through tough times that pushed them to the edge. C. S. Lewis, who watched his dear wife die of cancer, put it this way: "But pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world."

Gentle Reader, there is no easy answer to the problem of suffering. We may never understand, but we do know that God gave his Son to save us from our sin and all its destructive effects in this world, and that includes suffering. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 (NKJV) I'm looking forward to the day when God will make everything that is wrong become right. “I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, ‘Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.’” Revelation 21:3,4 (NLT)