Know the "why"

I was posed a question last night that I didn't know how to answer.  "In 1 Corinthians 2:5," I was asked, "it states 'That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.'  My faith in the wisdom of men has taught me that there is no God.  So if to find God I must first give up the wisdom I so stringently stand by, where does one exist between those two ends before faith, in one or the other, is found?  In Faith limbo?  Faithless?"

Whew.  Heavy stuff.  I spent some time praying, some time asking a few close friends what they would say.  One dear friend in particular said something that gave me pause.  She said that "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge (Proverbs 1:7), which means that there is still much that can be learned in this world.  You don't have to throw away everything you've learned, you just need to see if it is truth or not by comparing it to what God has revealed to be true." 

One thing that I noticed in college is that sometimes it is the smartest people who have the hardest time believing in God.  They've heard all of the arguments to the contrary, seen all of the scientific or historical evidence, listened to and studied all of the reasons why God couldn't possibly exist.  All of the facts that they have studied tell them that God is a myth, and that anyone who believes otherwise is a fool.

The thing is, however, that Christianity is not a blind faith.  Believing in the Lord does not mean that you have to just believe in what you're told to believe, while the scientists and atheists get all of the "real" facts.  1 Peter 3:15 says to "always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have."  There are historical accounts that back up stories found in the Bible.  There are archaeological remnants that correlate perfectly with Biblical accounts.  God is a God of logic and reason, not panic and chaos.  Sure, sometimes we do not always understand Him; but that doesn't mean that He is illogical. 

So if you know God, I would encourage you today to ask yourself why.  Why do you love Him?  Why do you believe in Him?  Why are you willing to trust Him with your life?  Don't be caught by surprise if someone asks you to explain the hope that is within you.  And if you don't know God, I would encourage you to do the same.  Read the Bible, read the history and science books, ask questions with an open mind.  Like my friend said, you don't have to throw away everything you've learned.  You just have to let the God of reason show you what is true and what is not.

Proverbs 1:1-7
1 The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel: 
2 for gaining wisdom and instruction; for understanding words of insight; 
3 for receiving instruction in prudent behavior, doing what is right and just and fair; 
4 for giving prudence to those who are simple, knowledge and discretion to the young - 
5 let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance - 
6 for understanding the proverbs and parables. the sayings and riddles of the wise.  
7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, 
but fools despise wisdom and instruction.