Tuesday of Holy Week - April 16, 2019

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Isaiah 49:1-6 John 13:21-33,36-38

As I read today’s first reading from Isaiah, I wondered why did God make the prophet a sharp-edged sword and then conceal him under his arm? Why did he make him a polished arrow and then hide him?

It is interesting, and to an extent comforting, to see that although the times have changed, the questions and the need to know remain the same.  We ask why? Annoying in its simplicity, this three-letter word has challenged the mind for millennia. Sometimes the answer is simple, yet so often it is complicated with uncertainty. As humans, we desire to put the pieces together and make sense of it all.

However, life is not that easy, it is not a puzzle where you are given the image before you start to assemble. With a puzzle, you can even make do with a missing piece or two. In life, all the information must be present to understand the grand design. So, we toil, searching for why a negative or positive event has occurred.  We blame others, ourselves, even God.

Finding the answer requires us to let go and give in to our faith. Which can be a lot like driving a car at night, you can only see as far as your headlights allow but that is enough to make the journey.  Sooner or later, our faith reveals that the events that seemed to break us have sharpened us. That our tarnish has been polished away. That the reward is far greater than could be imagined. So back to the Isaiah reading—perhaps Isaiah was concealed in the shadow of God’s arm to give him strength.  I still do not know.  Nevertheless, I am grateful for the questions that help me think about who God is in my life.  During this Lenten season, I have challenged myself to become a better light.  To take each moment as it is given and make the most of it.  I am not always successful but I am making progress.

Q:  Are there questions that I ask and wonder about that help me draw closer to God?

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