I am reading Lynn Austin’s On This Foundation. Bethany
House Publishers sent me a complimentary review copy of this book. This
post here is not my actual review. I will probably write the actual
review sometime next week. Rather, in this post here, I want to wrestle
a bit with a passage in the book.
On This Foundation is set in Israel’s post-exilic period,
specifically during the time of Nehemiah. One of the main characters is
Chana, a young lady who recently lost her husband Yitzhak. Chana’s
father has been bitten by a scorpion while he working on rebuilding the
walls of Jerusalem, and there is a possibility that he may die soon. He
says to his daughter Chana, on page 341:
“And if I die, Chana…don’t ask God, ‘Why?’ Ask, ‘How?’…How can I make the world a better place? How can I show His love?”
That is a good point. As an academic, I like to ask the question of
“why?” Asking questions and finding answers are entertaining to me, and
I do not think that my life would be as interesting without that quest,
or a belief in new territory that I had not previously considered. I
also think that learning more about “why?” will enhance my appreciation
of God. Or at least I hope that it would.
Suppose I started asking the question of “how?” more often?
Ordinarily, I would prefer not to ask that question. I do not want to
beat myself up for being asocial, or struggling socially, and that could
easily happen once I start asking the question of “how?” I can show
God’s love to people. I do not want to feel pressured to give money,
and that pressure may emerge once I ask the question of “how?”.
What is interesting, though, is that I did not have my expected
reaction or aversion when reading that passage in Lynn Austin’s book. I
can ask “How?”. That can be pretty open-ended. I can be imaginative
or creative in coming up with answers. I do not have to follow a set
path. How can I, as me, make the world a better place and show God’s
love to people? I can write. I can pray for people, privately and
online. I can ask people about needs that they have shared.
A challenging verse for me, though, is James 2:16, which criticizes
one who wishes the person in need well, but does nothing to meet that
person’s physical needs. I don’t have to let this verse beat me up. It
should, however, be somewhere in my mind. I cannot meet the physical
needs of all needy people. But that should not be an excuse for me to
give nothing.