"Why" Questions

I have heard people say there are questions we ask of God which reveal a lack of faith.  Only God knows.  I have been asking a lot of questions lately.  The more we struggle or suffer, the more cause we have to ask God about how all this works together in His plan.  When difficulties persist, the only way to persevere is to rest upon the truth and strength of God.  Those who live according to their own understanding are like King Saul, whom when the battle pressed against him he chose to fall upon his own sword and end his life.  Any question humbly asked of God will not cause our rejection by Him.  There is no question off-limits for the contrite seeker, for God has made all things.  He is aware of our deep longings, fear, confusion, anger, or uncertainty.  It would be better for us to confess everything we know is wrong with us than to quietly ignore our sins and weakness.

Is it a question spawned by lack of faith when we ask God, "Why is this happening?"  If a person had no faith or belief in God, I doubt they would seek Him for advice!  Did David the king of Israel have faith in God?  Yes.  Even when he struggled with all manner of trials, his faith in God never wavered.  Did he have questions?  Absolutely.  Did he question the direction God was taking his life.  Yes.  Listen to his words in Psalm 13:1-32:  "How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? [2] How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? How long will my enemy be exalted over me?"  I have heard people say, and perhaps in my life I also have said that asking "why" God has done or allowed something reveals a lack of faith.  Perhaps I had not yet suffered enough!  Let us consider Psalm 10:1:  "Why do You stand afar off, O Lord? Why do You hide in times of trouble?  How about Psalm 22:1?  "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, and from the words of My groaning?"  Who can forget the words of Jesus on the cross?  Jesus asked God the Father "Why have you forsaken me?"  Certainly this does not reveal a lack of faith, for Christ had all faith.

Let us put away all pretenses and arrogant piety, my dear brothers and sisters in Christ.  Let us not shy away from who we REALLY are.  It is a sad reality that experience in church attending and "Christian" manners are often substituted for true spiritual maturity.  There is a pious dishonesty among people who know what is frowned upon in church circles.  I once went to a church men's BBQ where someone (probably a friend who was invited) brought a six-pack of beer.  The soda went fast, but among twenty or so men no one, not even the man who brought the beer, drank one.  Are we so naive to believe among those men there was not one who drinks beer occasionally or even more than occasionally?  If you bring a drink to a gathering, I don't see why you wouldn't drink it yourself!  But we pull this same nonsense with God when there is cursing and anger in our hearts and we don't confess this before God.  People might buy our act, but God doesn't.  Yet He is gracious and merciful, knowing our feeble and often deluded frame, and continues to teach us with His masterful, unsearchably wise ways.  The Pharisees were no different than any other men, yet their sin was greater before God than the harlots and swindlers because they proclaimed their own righteousness and condemned others.

Sometimes we do things we know are sinful and ought not do, and sometimes we think and feel contrary to the example provided by Christ.  Instead of confessing these sins, we try to repress them.  We do our best according to the flesh to quash the source of these fleshly tendencies and thus doom ourselves to futility.  The only way to overcome the sins of the flesh is to be purified by the Holy Spirit's indwelling presence and power.  The sooner we admit and confess how we really are, the sooner we are willing to ask the questions which seem almost irreverent, the sooner we will see ourselves in God's truth.  "I know I'm not supposed to fear or doubt, so I'll just ignore those bad thoughts."  Too late!  We condemn ourselves by our hypocrisy.  Even if our questions reveal a lack of faith, are we too ashamed to ask them because we want to keep up appearances of having all faith before God?  Doesn't He know our faith is weak?  Doesn't He know we are complete failures in ourselves?  Yes.  It is only when we admit our lack God will supply our need.  Ask Him and rejoice in His answers!