Miss Bert, my beloved childhood Bible teacher, patiently fielded the myriad questions ruthlessly shot at her like a machine gun every Sunday by pesky 13-year-old me, searching for Truth. She took me seriously as I pelted her with the hard questions of faith:
“If Jesus loves children, why does he let so many die?”
“If God cares about us, why doesn’t He just save everybody?”
“Why is blood the ultimate sacrifice? Who decided it was a good thing to sacrifice a gazillion innocent animals and then go so far as killing the sinless son of God?”
I wondered why she’d put up with me. So, I called her.
Miss Bert, now 86, remembered me immediately. I thanked her for bearing with that annoying kid from so long ago. Her reply floored me.
“Oh, you were never annoying. Well, maybe a little. But answering your questions drove me deeper into the Bible and forged my own faith stronger.”
“I remember one Sunday, you read me passages from each of the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) about the same event. Each was different and one even seemed to contradict the other three. You asked me, “If the Holy Spirit inspired these four guys, why can’t they agree? How do we even know the Bible is true?”
Miss Bert said she was unsure how to answer this most important question — the very crux of the Christian faith. She promised to get back to me. And then she prayed, asking God to anchor my faith.
At the Wednesday night service, I sat directly in front of her. Staring at the back of my tousled head, she petitioned God again about my vital faith question.
In Miss Bert’s words, “And then the pastor walked up front and announced that the message was going to be ‘How we know the Bible is true.’ I almost dropped my Bible right on the floor. I hadn’t mentioned a word to him about your question, but I reckon the Holy Spirit did.”
“I saw you sit up straight and tune in. Then when it was over, I tapped you on the shoulder. ‘What do you think of that?’ I asked. And you said, ‘Golly, Miss Bert, do you think he was listening at our keyhole?’”
Miss Bert’s sweet laughter tinkled across the miles. “I told you, ‘Yes, Debbie, someOne was listening, but He’s a lot bigger than the pastor!’”
My friend, if you’re seeking truth today, dig deeper and deeper into your Bible. And keep asking hard questions. The mode and delivery of real answers may surprise you.
Because someOne is listening at the keyhole.
