I remember well sitting in my office that afternoon with a fine young man, articulate, well-educated, thoughtful, and yet struggling with his faith. he had a lot of questions.

I deeply appreciated his respectful tone and his willingness to listen to what the Bible says.

And when the time was finished, I had not answered all of his questions.

I had not convinced him on every point or removed all doubt,

but we had developed a meaningful conversation, a real friendship that I believe

set him on a course to begin seeking God's word for himself and finding Bible answers to those

questions that had plagued him. This is Scott Pauli, and today we're returning to Proverbs

chapter number 22,

because more and more, I'm coming to understand what Solomon must have been feeling

when he wrote these words to his son, beginning in verse number 17, bow down thine ear,

and hear the words of the wise, and apply thine heart unto my knowledge, for it is a pleasant thing,

if thou keep them within thee. They shall of all be fitted in thy lips, that thy trust may be in the

Lord I have made known to thee this day, even to thee, have not I written to thee excellent things

and counsels and knowledge, that I might make

thee know the certainty of the words of truth that thou mightest answer the words of truth

to them that send unto thee. And we've established already in the opening studies together in

this series that life is full of questions,

that we're going to have them, they're not going away,

that you're going to have to help other people with their questions,

and indeed you're going to have to work through questions yourself.

I wonder, why does God allow hard things?

Why does God allow questions?

...