Joni And Friends Daily Devotional 31 May 2024, Friday Message
TOPIC: I Was Just Wondering
“When the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to prove Solomon with hard questions at Jerusalem, with a very great company, and camels that bare spices, and gold in abundance, and precious stones: and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart.” – 2 Chronicles 9:1 (KJV)
Our questions haven’t changed much since the queen of Sheba’s time. Or have they? I recall reading an article not long ago that listed a few questions. I can’t remember the author, but here are a few queries the queen may have missed…
Why do people show great interest in “near-death experiences” but no interest in heaven? What makes God happy? Why do sinners so often feel attracted to Jesus but repulsed by the church? Why do so few Christians get around to reading Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, a writer who sounds like a modern Amos or Isaiah?
Why are there so many kinds of animals? Couldn’t the world get along with, say, three hundred thousand species of beetles instead of five hundred thousand? Why is it that the most beautiful animals on earth are hidden away from all humans (except those wearing elaborate scuba equipment)? Who are they beautiful for?
Why is almost all religious art realistic, whereas much of God’s creation—zebras, the swallowtail butterfly, and crystalline structures—excels at abstract design? When chimpanzees laugh and play with one another, are they happy like humans? Why did Solomon, who showed such wisdom in writing Proverbs, spend the last years of his life breaking a lot of those proverbs?
Here’s a question for you. Why, when the gospel is replete with stories of grace, acceptance, and forgiveness, do you often feel more guilty than forgiven? Pause today and go to God, saying, “Lord, I was just wondering…” and then open your heart to him, as the queen of Sheba did with Solomon. You may be surprised at the answer.
I have many questions, God. Yet the closer I get to you, the more I see how you are all wisdom. I leave all things with you.
Joni Eareckson Tada is an American evangelical Christian author, radio host, artist, and founder of Joni and Friends, an organization “accelerating Christian ministry in the disability community”.