Questioning to the Glory of God
Many of us may have been raised believing that we cannot question God. “Just trust him and everything will turn out all right.” Yes, it is good to trust God in all things, and he will take care of us that is true, but it is also true that we can question God about things that either do or do not happen to us. Questioning God does not mean we do not trust him.
One of my favorite disciples is Thomas who was often referred to as Doubting or Questioning Thomas. I think those names are unfair. He did not raise either doubts or questions because he did not believe, I believe he did so that he could believe in the Lord he loved even more! Having doubts or raising questions is human and normal, and I will suggest healthy.
There are many mysteries in life we will never understand. We have questions about them—like why did my father die at age 51, or why did we have a miscarriage, or an accident or whatever. We have questions and our God is able to handle our questions. It may well be that in the throws of sharp grief all we can do is to cry out and ask “God why did this or that happen?” Remember Jesus on the cross saying, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
The passage above is the one Paul quoted to the Corinthians from the prophet Isaiah. (That is why there are two references) We question God healthily when we turn to him out of our deep anger, grief, or ignorance. Our questioning is not trying to instruct God as to what he should do nor to imply that what has happened is not known to him. In our questioning we open ourselves up, making ourselves more vulnerable which in turn makes us more receptive to receiving God’s love.
Prayer:
With my doubts and questions Lord, help me to love you more. Amen
Pastor Jerry
Tomorrow: Traveling to the Glory of God
