Have you ever found yourself questioning God? When I was growing up, my older brother had a knack for asking questions with a disrespectful tone. This tone had droplets of sarcasm, a dash of disdain, and a whole lot of arrogance. It was usually the tone that always got him in trouble. We were to answer all adults with a yes or no – quickly followed by a sir or ma’am. And I know now that questions could be asked if they were done in a respectful way. But what I learned from watching my brother was that asking questions was wrong. Especially if you weren’t an adult.
I typically filed away the discrepancies in a box and hid them away in a dark corner of my brain, but it didn’t make me a dutiful or submissive daughter. Those questions that I didn’t ask just grew into something that turned me into a person who struggles to trust. I should have asked the questions. I should have learned how to ask the questions in the right way.
Some questions may sound disrespectful, but how are we supposed to know Him if we don’t ask the questions? Some of the stories we read about in scripture don’t always seem to point back to a loving God. A man picks up sticks on the Sabbath – probably to make a small fire to help feed or warm his family – and God tells Moses to stone him to death. Then King David takes another man’s wife – very likely against her will – has her husband killed, and God restores him – David is now remembered as a man after God’s own heart.
Um, I have some questions.
I bet you have some questions, too, don’t you? We can have the television on for just a commercial break and start questioning God. But what exactly are we asking? Are we asking if He is love? Are we asking if He is good? Are we asking if He got something wrong – perhaps He made a mistake?
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned that asking questions is supposed to be okay. God wants us to ask Him questions. He already knows our heart, He already knows what we struggle to understand – and if we seek Him, then He will show us who He is.
“This is what the Lord says—the Lord who made the earth, who formed and established it, whose name is the Lord: Ask me and I will tell you remarkable secrets you do not know about things to come.” Jeremiah 33:2-3 NLT
The more I ask God questions – the more I explore His goodness, the more the Bible comes alive! God Himself making the first blood sacrifice in order to cover Adam and Eve after they sinned (fig leaves would never hold up anyway) is so telling of God’s magnificence! Even at the very beginning, He was showing us that He had it all figured out.
Dialogue is an obvious choice for asking God the questions that weigh us down and hold us back. Getting into the Word is another one. I am definitely guilty of going through seasons of rattling off prayers at mealtime and not much more. Not being able to find my Bible because it’s been a while since I cracked it open is a bit embarrassing, too. And going it alone – away from the church – is a bad idea. There’s truth to finding strength and protection in the right herd.
Being in the right church is essential to having a successful walk with God. The church might not answer every question you have, but God can – and does – use His people to give us answers. Church is not a social club or a place to get some networking done, but it’s about community, fellowship, and serving. It’s being the welcoming person that you were hoping would notice you on your first Sunday. It’s about sharing how God has come through for you. It’s how we grow from questioning God to trusting God while we still have questions.
As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend. Proverbs 27:17 NLT
We all have different upbringings, backgrounds, and experiences. This shouldn’t divide us, but rather make us stronger. We share testimonies of God’s faithfulness and that can be used to boost someone’s faith! We struggle with why God – who is love – would have a man stoned for picking up sticks the day after the Law was given. And our eyes are opened to a different perspective we’d never considered.
Perhaps by making an example of one person who was outwardly breaking the Law by picking up sticks on the Sabbath, the other 3 million (or so) who were breaking the Law in their hearts were spared. Was God just in the one being stoned to death? Yes – he broke the Law and the punishment was death. Was God showing love, grace, and mercy by sparing the others? Yes. Is this the final answer to this one moment in time? No. But it is a glimpse of the One who made the earth, who formed and established it… whose name is the Lord.
Isn’t it interesting that by the sacrifice of one man – God’s only son, Jesus – all who will believe are spared? Was God just to allow Jesus to take the sins of the entire world for all time and die in our place? Yes – the penalty for sin is death and all sin was placed on Jesus at the cross. Was God showing love, grace, and mercy to the rest of us by bringing His plan full circle from when He took it upon Himself to adequately cover Adam and Eve? Absolutely.
I still have questions, and I plan to keep asking them. And through His goodness – His love, grace, and mercy – He’ll give me the answers I need for each moment that I’m in – whether I’m at a Bible study, church, homeschooling my kiddos, or grocery shopping.
“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.” Matthew 7:7-8 NLT
What questions do you have for God? Keep asking your questions, share His answers with others, and discover His goodness, love, and grace.