“And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6
Children like to ask their parents questions and perhaps the most popular question is “Why?” Like “Why can’t I…?” And “Why do I have to…?”
Often times their questioning nature is good. They ask because they seek understanding. They ask because they need help in accepting the situation.
But sometimes their questions are not good. They are not good because they come from a defiant attitude. Here the question is not just “Why?” but “Why not?!” Here the attitude is not “Help me understand” but “I don’t want to understand.” Here the attitude is “I want things MY way!”
As we go through life as God’s children, we often have questions too. Like “Why did this happen? Where is God? Does He care?” Amazingly, both believers and non-believers ask such questions, with some differences, of course.
For instance, a believer may not understand the Lord’s will or timetable, but he trusts that the Lord cares. Said another way, his questions might sound something like this: “Why won’t the Lord reveal Himself in a way that I am able to understand?”
In contrast, when a non-believer asks these questions, he may be saying there is no God, and if there is, knowing Him would be impossible. Another way of stating his question might be this: “Why doesn’t God make Himself known to me in an obvious way?”
All in all, the difference between the two is this: in tough situations the believer accepts God’s wisdom and control. His prayer is for patience and to say as Jesus said, “Not My will, but Yours, be done” (Luke 22:42b). On the other hand, the non-believer challenges God, neglecting to believe in Him unless he has proof.
Examples of each can be found in the Gospels as we look at two stories from Jesus’ life. The first is when He is with His disciples on the storm -tossed Sea of Galilee. In frustration, fear, and with a shaky faith, they come to Jesus saying something like: “Lord, if You cared about us, You’d do something about this storm.” That’s when Jesus stood up and silenced both wind and wave with a word.
A second instance of someone questioning Jesus comes from Golgotha. There, one of the offenders turned to the dying Savior and said, “If You really are the Christ (something the criminal doubted) then prove it by saving Yourself and us” (see Luke 23:39-43). This man demanded a proof from God, unaware of the forgiveness God was offering.
So, is it wrong to question God? The answer is: It all depends upon whether it is a question driven by faith or not. For faith draws one near to God and says, “Help me understand and help me accept.” But on the other hand, a lack of faith pulls one away from God and says, “This is not right. I want things my way.”
As God’s children, may the Lord continue to give us faith that draws us near to Him with all of our questions and blesses us as we trust in Him.
Pastor Tuma