Last night I was at a Christian High School awards ceremony.  Toward the end of the night, one young athlete asked if he could say something.  The coach stepped aside and gave him the mic.

“I have been standing here, praying,” he said.  “And the word that kept coming to me was, “Why?”  He went on to urge us to ask God, “Not what, but why?”

“Why are we here on earth?”

“Why do we have the coaches that we have?”

“Why are we gifted athletically?”

He felt that God had put these questions on his heart, and that he should share them with us.

Finding Answers

Are these fair questions? I think they are reasonable.  Since the beginning of time, humans have been asking God, “Why?”  But I also think that if we pose a question, we should be willing to investigate and look for a response.

So, is there an answer?

There most certainly is!

The Bible says that we were created for God’s glory.

Catechisms

I remember working with my young children on basic catechisms of the church.  For those of you who might not know, a catechism is a way to teach Biblical truth in an orderly way.  According to one article I read, it comes from the Greek word for “instruct” which is katecheo.  When translated to English, the word became “catechize”.

Traditional catechisms are presented in a question/answer format.  Like this:

Question 1:

Who is the first and best of beings?

Answer: God is the first and best of beings.

Scripture: Isaiah 44:6; Psalm 8:1; 96:4: 97:9 1 Samuel 2:2.

https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/a-baptist-catechism

There are over 100 questions and answers in “The Baptist Catechism”.   When my children were little, we used a simplified version for kids.  We would sit around for a short time after dinner.  One child would ask the question and the other would give the answer.  Then we would look up the scriptures and talk about it. We did one per night for about a month or so.  Then we moved on to something else.  If you ever want to know the basic tenants of the Christian faith, the catechisms are a great starting place.  Look up the Bible verses referenced and find out for yourself.

I was a mother before I realized that there was a simple answer to the question of why are we here? In fact, it is Catechism number three.  Here it is in the children’s version:

Question 3:

Why did God make you and all things?

Answer: God made all things, including me, for His own glory.

http://gracebaptistcarlisle.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/childrens_catechism_esv.pdf

When you stop to think about it, each of the young athlete’s questions has the same answer: “For God’s glory.”

Why Are We Here?

The Bible has verse after verse about why we were created.  In fact, the whole plan of salvation, where God sent his only son (Jesus) to take on our sin and die in our place so that we can trust in Him and be saved, is truly good news!  This good news brings God glory because He planned it all and worked it all out!  Someday, all of us who have accepted God’s plan and believed in Jesus will be in heaven praising God and giving Him glory throughout eternity!

“Oh what joy for those

Whose disobedience if forgiven,

Whose sin is put out of sight!

Yes, what joy for those whose record the LORD has cleared of guilt,

Whose lives are lived in complete honesty!”

Psalm 32:1 (New Living Translation)

Seeking Answers

In the meantime, is it okay to ask the tough questions?  Of course!  And I would encourage you to seek out the answers!  Go to God’s word and search!  Find other Christians that are serious about their faith. Ask the questions together.  Seek out answers, together, and share what you have learned.

Please do not become discouraged in your search for truth.  Sometimes even when we study, probe, and search, we don’t find answers to everything, but we can still find comfort in knowing that a God who loves us is in control.  And we can be encouraged that somehow, in some way, God will work it out for His glory.

Taking It A Step Further

In the interim, I’d like to make a suggestion to the young athlete who began the conversation by asking us to substitute “What” with “Why”.  I propose that you to take it a step further.  Now that you know: “Why? = For God’s Glory”, take it a step further and change “Why?” to “How?”  Ask the question, “How can God use this situation for His glory?”

“Why are we here on earth?”  Can be changed to, “How can I bring glory to God while I am here on earth?”

“Why do we have the coaches that we have?” Becomes, “How can the coaches bring God glory?” or “How can I bring glory to God by the way I work with my coaches and teammates?”

“Why are we gifted athletically?” Turns into, “How can my athleticism (or any other gift I have) glorify God?”

Sometimes I forget that this life is not about me, instead it is about Him.  I have found that when I shift my thought processes off me and onto God, it makes a huge difference.  I can trust the creator of the universe to work things out, and you can too.  There’s a song we sing in church. It’s not about me!  It’s about Him!  Songwriter Paul Oakley says it this way:

It’s all about You, Jesus
And all this is for You
For Your glory and your fame
It’s not about me
As if You should do things my way
You alone are God
And I surrender to Your ways
Read more: Passion – Jesus, Lover Of My Soul (It’s All About You) Lyrics | MetroLyrics

We can always trust, no matter what, that somehow the situation will bring glory to God!  I am excited to see how!