The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.

Deuteronomy 29:29 (NKJV)

My parents died when I was relatively young. I became a Christian when I was 22 and just one year later I was with my mum in the hospital when she died after a long illness aged just 58. Two years after that, my dad died very suddenly of a heart attack and he was 64. Heââ?¬â?¢d actually remarried but the new marriage had only lasted a mere eight months. Many times since then Iââ?¬â?¢ve asked the question ââ?¬Ë?Why?ââ?¬â?¢ as Iââ?¬â?¢ve reflected on the implications of their early deaths. Thereââ?¬â?¢s been so many aspects of my life that I would have loved to have shared with them, seeing my kids grow up, enjoying her great cooking, things I needed to tell them etc. We probably all have those kind of questions, sometimes to do with our own personal situation, sometimes to do with wider issues, for example, why are certain people in certain places having to suffer so much?

Asking questions of God is a healthy thing to do and many times in the Bible weââ?¬â?¢re positively encouraged to do so; indeed, itââ?¬â?¢s part of learning and growing in our faith. But whatââ?¬â?¢s important is the attitude in which we ask. We can ask with an arrogance that says ââ?¬Å?I want to knowââ?¬Â¦ I have a right to knowââ?¬Â¦Ã¢â?¬Â or we can ask with a humility that recognises that there are some things that belong in the category ââ?¬â?? ââ?¬Ë?the secret thingsââ?¬â?¢ ââ?¬â?? things that we may never know or understand. There are some things that not even the greatest brains on the planet will ever find out because Godââ?¬â?¢s decreed them ââ?¬Ë?the secret thingsââ?¬â?¢. However, heââ?¬â?¢s also chosen to reveal certain things to us and, where this is the case, then we can claim them as really belonging to us ââ?¬â?? even to the extent of passing them on to the next generation through our children.

Deuteronomy tells us something very fundamental about Godââ?¬â?¢s character. We know that He is all-knowing; now we know that, in His wisdom, He chooses to keep some things to Himself ââ?¬â?? which at times might frustrate us, yet on the other hand, it can also reassure us that God knows whatââ?¬â?¢s best for us ââ?¬â?? to know or not to know. To this day, I donââ?¬â?¢t know why my mum and dad died at such an early stage but I feel secure in the knowledge that, despite not having answers, I can trust Him and let the situation go.