Are you questioning God? Is it wrong to question God? In the Bible, we often see believers questioning God. Habakkuk asked in desperation why evil happened. God later answered him, and he rejoiced in the Lord. His question came from a sincere heart. Habakkuk, the prophet, questioned the Lord in desperation.
Habakkuk 1:2 How long, O Lord, must I call for help? But you do not listen! “Violence is everywhere!” I cry, but you do not come to save. [1]I believe there are times in our lives when all of us have questioned God if we are honest. We may ask, “Lord, why did you let this happen? Lord, why do good people suffer?” Perhaps you can think of a time when you questioned God. We don’t see what God sees or knows what He knows.
Questioning God with Wrong Motives
The religious leaders often questioned Jesus, but with the wrong motives. One such situation occurred during the last days of Jesus’ earthly ministry. Mark 11:27 Again they entered Jerusalem. As Jesus was walking through the Temple area, the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders came up to him. 28 They demanded, “By what authority are you doing all these things? Who gave you the right to do them?” [2]
The religious leader’s goal in questioning Jesus’ authority was to trap Him. What was in their heart was coming out of their mouths. The religious leaders were asking Jesus with a rebellious untrusting heart, not genuinely seeking an answer from Him. Only the Lord knows as we question Him what is in our hearts.
We Don’t Always Understand What God is Doing
I may question the Lord with a sincere and loving heart seeking to understand, but in the end, we need always to trust God, who knows best. Isaiah 55:8 “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. 9 For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. [3] We don’t have eyes to see the future, so we don’t know the amazing things the Lord is doing in our lives.
Rather than focus on why I think it is better to focus on trusting God. He uses the brokenness of our lives to display His glory. This gives us hope during trying circumstances that make us question the Lord. Without seeing God’s perspective, we can only trust that the Lord will bring good out of our struggles. Paul says it best. Romans 8:28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. [4]
Are you questioning God? To hear more, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/mark-jesus-authority-challenged
[1-4] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation . Tyndale House Publishers.