Read more in this series: Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4
Asking Better Questions
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is famous for having one of the most perplexing answers ever conceived. In the story, a race of aliens creates a computer to tell them the ultimate answer to life, the universe, and everything. After seven and a half million years of thinking, the computer comes back with the answer, “Forty-two.”
The book is a comedy, but there’s an important lesson in it. The aliens had taken the wrong approach. They wanted the answer, but once they found it, they realized they never really understood the question in the first place.
To get better answers, we have to ask a better questions. This is true in every area of life, and it is especially true when it comes to difficult circumstances.
When life hurts, will we raise our fists to heaven and demand to know why, or is there a question that might lead to a better answer?
In this series we are learning how to ask better questions. Part 1 helped us find salvation by asking, “Who is God?”
Part 2 helped us find fulfillment by asking, “What do I do with what God has given me?”
Part 3 will reveal a third question that leads to peace when things get difficult. Before we explore the third question, let’s review the first two.
Recap of the First Question - “Who is God?”
Who is God is the most important question anyone can ask. Depending on how we answer, we either find salvation or frustration. This foundational question shapes our worldview, and everything about how we experience life is built upon our answer.
If I am god, then everything, everyone, and every circumstance is about me. Money, time, food, pleasure, identity, humor, relationships, status, ideas, people—if I am my own god, then all these things exist to serve and worship me.
The problem is, they rarely do. Time is not my servant; it marches on without me and slips through my fingers. Pleasure does not serve me; it flees and leaves me wanting. Food does not serve me; it transforms my body in ways I wish it wouldn’t. No matter how hard I try, my control over this world is very limited.
So I have a choice. I can rant and rave at the things that dare defy me—a god of self-importance—or I can realize that maybe I am not the god I thought I was. Maybe everything, everyone, and every circumstance really exists to serve Someone greater.
And if that’s the case, then who is God? In every situation, who has the real authority?
Who is God of my time? Who is God of my finances? Who is God of my eating habits? Who is God of my identity? Who is God of the movies I watch? Who is God of my relationships? Who is God of my political views? Who is God of my mind, my will, and my emotions?
The only true answer is Jesus Christ.
Jesus is God. For two thousand years men have tried to refute that statement, and for two thousand years they have failed. Many scholars who set out to argue against Jesus end up believing in Him as Lord instead. There are countless reasons to believe Jesus is God and that He is the only way to salvation. (I’ve listed some resources at the end of the article that help point the way towards this conclusion.)
If Jesus is God, then every person, every circumstance, and every created thing exists to serve Him, not me. That means no matter what happens in my life, I must approach it with humility. I am a guest in His realm; I am a servant created by Him to do His work. Time, money, food, identity, humor, entertainment, relationships, politics, people, life, the universe, and everything—none of it belongs to me.
It belongs to Him.
And that leads to the second greatest question.
Recap of the Second Question - “What do I do with what God has given me?”
All of life belongs to Jesus, and yet there are things in this world that I have influence over. God has given me time, possessions, ideas, relationships, and so on, and I can choose how to make use of them. But if they ultimately belong to God, then how do I make sure I’m using my resources in a way that honors Him?
The answer is, “Be fruitful and multiply.”
Genesis 1:28 ESV - And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
Fruitfulness and multiplication is man’s original function. Our primary task when we are in right relationship with God is to multiply the goodness all around us.
Jesus reinforced this idea in the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30). In the parable, the master gives each of his servants resources according to their abilities. After some time has passed, two of the servants have multiplied what they were given, and the master is pleased. But one servant hasn’t done anything. He gives the master back his resources without any multiplication. The servant isn’t a thief—he’s honest, and he didn’t try to steal—but because he hasn’t multiplied his resources, the master is unhappy and calls him wicked and lazy.
Multiplying goodness is what God created us for, and there’s always something good that we can multiply.
How the Right Questions Shape Our Perspective
Asking the right questions changes how we approach life. In every situation we can ask, “Who is God in this? Is this about me, or is this about Jesus? If Jesus is God, then how can I glorify Him in this situation? What resources can I use to multiply goodness and bring glory to His name?”
Better questions don’t just lead to better answers, they lead to better opportunities. They open doors to possibilities we might otherwise overlook. They help us move past obstacles to find lasting peace and fulfillment.
Jesus is God, and He gives good gifts to His children (Matthew 7:11). We are to use those gifts to multiply the goodness all around us.
But what if He takes something away?
What do we do when we feel robbed? What do we do when God cuts something out of our life? What question can we ask that will help us?
There is a third question that can help us find hope. This question reframes every pain and helps us see God’s promise, no matter how difficult our troubles may be.
The Third Question
The wrong question to ask when we experience loss is the one question we all want an answer to. It’s the question, “Why?”
Why would you do this, God? Why would you allow it? Why didn’t you stop it? Why didn’t you heal that person? Why didn’t you protect me? Why?
Asking why is understandable, but it isn’t helpful. That’s because it’s still focused on the hardship, and God wants us to focus on Him.
Psalm 1:1-2 ESV - Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.
We follow what we focus on. If we focus on the pain, we will follow it right down into the depths of despair. But if we focus on the light, we will walk out of darkness and into light (1 Peter 2:9).
There is also a subtle sense of blame to the question of why. There is a self-importance wrapped into it that elevates us above God, as if He should justify His decisions to us. But we do not get to sit in judgment over God, and asking God why does not usually lead to the answer we were expecting.
What if there was a better question that could get a better answer? What if there was a question that could shift our perspective and bring us into cooperation with God instead of opposition? What if there was a question that would help align our spirits with God’s promise to work all things together for the good? (Romans 8:28)
As it just so happens, there is a question like that. It’s a question that corrects our focus and, incidentally, gives us perspective on the question of why.
Are you ready for it? Here it is:
“What is God preserving?”
This is the third question that helps us find peace in times of trouble. To understand its importance, let's look at the life of Joseph.
Joseph was sold by his brothers into slavery. He was taken to Egypt where he was falsely accused and imprisoned for many years. But as a prisoner, his faith in God became well-tested and strong. Eventually the Lord arranged circumstances so that Joseph was put in a position of great authority. Even though a huge chunk of his life had been difficult, he was finally able to live a comfortable, stable life.
Then his brothers arrived in Egypt—the same brothers who had sold him into slavery decades earlier. They had come to buy food to keep their families from starving due to the devastating famine that plagued the land.
Joseph could have wiped them out, but he didn’t. He offered them forgiveness instead. When Joseph’s brothers realized who he was and that he had the authority to have them executed, they were afraid. But Joseph said, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.” (Genesis 50:20)
If Joseph had not been sold into slavery, he would not have been falsely accused and imprisoned. Had he not been imprisoned, he would not have met the people who introduced him to Pharaoh. Had he not been elevated to authority by Pharaoh, he would not have been in a position to preserve the lives of his family.
God saved Joseph's family from starvation, and He did it by taking things away. He took Joseph away from his family. He took away Joseph’s freedom. He took thing after thing after thing, and in the process He also took away Joseph’s pride and arrogance. He took away Joseph’s contempt. He took away vengeful thoughts and transformed Joseph by removing things until he was perfectly positioned to preserve life.
That's what is so important to understand about God. God preserves life, and the way that He preserves life is by pruning.
John 15:1-2 ESV - I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
God prunes. He doesn’t take away without purpose; He takes away to preserve and enrich the vine. He takes away so that what remains may be full of abundant life (John 10:10).
How God Prunes
First, He removes the dead branches. These are the parts of our lives that draw nourishment from something other than Christ. This is a purification process by which things that are unholy are stripped away.
John 15:6 ESV - If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.
Then He removes branches that bear no fruit. These are parts of our lives that aren’t necessarily bad, they just aren’t productive. They are draining resources from things that are more valuable. God prunes those branches so that the fruitful parts of our lives will be enriched.
Next, He prunes the branches that are producing fruit. These parts of our lives are productive, but they’re diluted. They may be producing fruit, but is it good fruit? Could it be better? Could the life within be more abundant?
God takes away until what is left is the best of the best. He doesn’t leave behind any waste, dead branches, or second-rate fruit. Every time He takes away, we lose something, yes—but we also gain the energy that was being poured into that thing. When God takes away, the quality of what remains increases.
God prunes until all of our energy is focused where it should be. When we submit to the process, the end result is a rich and satisfying life. So when God takes away, we can ask, “What is He preserving?”
Is He taking away something small so that He can multiply it and return it to us?
Psalm 126:6 ESV - He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.
Is He taking away the wicked so that He can preserve peace for the righteous?
Psalm 125:3,5 ESV - For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest on the land allotted to the righteous, lest the righteous stretch out their hands to do wrong… Those who turn aside to their crooked ways the Lord will lead away with evildoers! Peace be upon Israel!
Is He taking away fear so that we can face impossible odds with incredible faith?
Psalm 3:1-6 ESV - O Lord, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me; many are saying of my soul, “There is no salvation for him in God.”
But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. I cried aloud to the Lord, and he answered me from his holy hill.
I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the Lord sustained me. I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around.
If we ask what God is preserving, the question itself begins to shift our focus onto the good. Does it hurt when a branch is cut away? Yes, and when we understand that God cuts things away in order to preserve life, peace, and goodness, we can refocus on what we have, not what we have lost. We can endure the pain knowing there is purpose in it.
If we live our lives focused only on what we want, we will work to oppose God’s pruning. Our works will preserve the delusion that we are our own gods and that our dead, fruitless branches are worth keeping. But if we submit to the Lord’s process, the Holy Spirit works to preserve and enrich our salvation.
Galatians 5:16-17 ESV - But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.
The next time you experience loss, remember that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-24). Which of these is the Lord working to enrich in you? What life is He making more abundant? What peace is He protecting in you?
What is God preserving?
Jesus is God - Resources
If you are exploring the question of whether or not Jesus is God, these books may help you in your journey.
The Bible - If you want to learn about Jesus, it’s a good idea to read the Bible. Even if you don’t believe it, starting with the source material is a valid scholarly approach to understanding it. I recommend starting with the ESV translation.
Mere Christianity - This is a good explanation of Christian faith and the logical validity of Jesus’s claim to be God.
The Case for Christ - This is a thorough examination of evidence outside the Bible that supports Jesus’s existence and the validity of His ministry on earth.
Messianic Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus - This is a list of Old Testament scriptures that point to Jesus as the Messiah. These prophecies support the validity of Jesus’s claim to be God.
So very deep! Such a great post and series. I've never heard the John 15 passage explained and illustrated that way. Wow. Praise God!