Why?

Joelle 2010

Why is my heart so heavy? Why do I lie awake at night seeking answers to unanswerable questions? Asking "Why?" seems to be part of who I am. Why? Well, there IS a reason.

The answer to THIS unanswerable question is found in two places - the Gospel of Matthew and in a tree. Yes, a tree.

First, from Matthew . . .

"The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me." - Matthew 26:11

Why would Jesus tell His disciples that the poor would always be with them? An unanswerable question? Perhaps. Let's learn something about trees before we answer that question.

Did you know that trees need to struggle in order to help them grow? It's true. Wind blowing against a tree causes it to produce some tougher, "structural" wood that helps it stand up against external forces.

The University of Arizona created and enclosed bionic environment to study plant growth. They had trees in their special enclosure but the trees never reached maturity. They fell over because they structurally could not hold themselves up. They collapsed under their own weight. They needed a struggle in order to grow strong.

Back to the poor in Jesus' statement. "The poor you will always have with you," Jesus said. Why? Here's another question we must answer first. Was Jesus talking about the financially poor? Or the spiritually poor. I think it was the latter.

Basically, what Jesus was saying is "The poor in spirit you will always have with you." There will always be a need for people to come to faith in Christ. Why? So that WE can grow!

Are you a child of God? If you are then you are the person God wants to use to speak to others about Jesus. Is there someone in your life right now who is spiritually poor? Is someone experiencing a storm right now and encountering high winds? Are they in danger of collapsing?

Jesus is the answer to all of the questions the world is screaming for answers to. We know what the answer is. OUR "why" question from Jesus is "Why aren't you telling people about me?"

Oh, the kid in the picture. Her name is Joelle. She is the sister of Chere, the 20-year old kid I told you about last week who was murdered. Joelle is experiencing a storm in her life right now. She has been missing for five days. Please pray for this young soul, that God would place a Christ follower into her life. That she would come to know Christ - our strength and our hope.

Joelle present day

Only Jesus - Casting Crowns
The Role Of Wind In A Tree's Life