我們前幾天一直在討論「為甚麼我們有時會滿足於容易找到的答案」，今天我們將繼續思考這個問題。當我們為耶穌基督而生活，每天都必須面對許多難解的問題，例如：我應該讓兒女看某個電視節目嗎？神是否帶領我接受一份新工作？為甚麼我會那麼容易墮入試探？我應該聽從醫生的吩咐服食抗抑鬱藥物嗎？……種種需要我們作決定的問題顯示出我們的猶豫，讓我們不能不承認我們對生活的事物總是存有那麼多的疑惑。

聖經清楚地處理某些問題，但對某些問題卻沒有給我們清晰的教導。有時我們需要與不能確定的事情掙扎一番。我們被教導要繼續停留在疑慮中，這種說法有時實在不容易接受，因為我們內心存在一股很大的壓力，迫切的需要把疑惑減低到可以被忽略的地步。焦慮的情緒推動我們去為自己的世界尋求安定的秩序，也就是因此導致我們變得十分脆弱。

多年前我曾經感到相當困擾，我不認同那些醫治佈道的做法，我覺得那是很不負責的行為，但我不明白為甚麼有些聰明的基督徒會接受這觀念，情願付出大筆金錢、放棄正統的治療轉而去做一些古怪的事情。後來我明白了，因為這些「醫治者」為求助者以及他們的家人提供一些能帶來希望的「答案」，而這些所謂的答案比懷著疑慮來生活更容易讓人接受。神確實會醫治病人，但有的時候祂卻不這樣做，不管我們是多麼迫切的祈求。我們如何處理這種疑慮的困擾，完全是取決於我們屬靈生命成熟的程度。

We continue thinking through the issue of why it is that we settle for easy answers. Every day we face tough questions as we live our lives for Jesus Christ. Should I let my children watch a certain television programme? Is God leading me into a new job? Why am I so prone to fall under the power of temptation? Should I use anti-depressants as the doctor says I should? These and other questions demand decisions that expose our uncertainty and force us to recognise how deeply confused we are about certain issues

The Bible addresses some issues clearly, but on others it is not so clear. Sometimes we have to struggle with uncertainty. It is unappealing to be told that we have to go on in the midst of confusion, and we feel a great inner pressure to reduce the confusion to a point where it can be ignored. Motivated by anxiety, we seek to impose an order on our world - and it is at this point that we become extremely vulnerable.

In earlier years I used to be deeply perplexed about why intelligent Christian people bought into the ideas of some of the less responsible healing evangelists, who got them to pledge huge sums of money, give up medical treatment and do the strangest things. But then I realised that these men were providing the people who came to them with hopeful "answers" about their physical condition or that of their loved ones, and this was easier than living with confusion. God does heal, but sometimes He doesn't - no matter how hard we pray. And the way we handle this confusion determines our spiritual maturity.