Articles and Bible Questions

I want to examine our topic this month in reverse order. As we consider the times, places, and manners in which God invites us to ask Him questions as we seek His will, it’s vital that we first understand the difference between questioning God and disbelieving God.

As we will see later in our study, God invites our questions and patiently helps us work through our doubts—so long as we ultimately accept His will as best. This invitation, however, is not an excuse to disbelieve God or, worse, disobey Him.

Two prominent examples are needed at the outset to show us what not to do, and how not to engage with God.

GOD’S WILL, EVEN WHEN DIFFICULT, IS NEVER NEGOTIABLE.

Exactly one year ago in Heart to Heart, we considered the example of Jonah—the prodigal prophet who preached a great revival.

In Jonah chapter 1, between verses 2 and 3, imagine the questions that would have raced through Jonah’s mind, even if he never said them out loud. In verse 2, God instructs Jonah to go to Nineveh and proclaim God’s judgment. Verse 3 explains what Jonah does instead; he boards a ship, effectively resigns his prophet’s badge, and sails away to the other end of the known world—the coast of modern-day Spain.

What was Jonah thinking?

Why me? Why now? Why Nineveh? God, don’t you care about my life? Don’t you value my safety?

I can imagine literally hundreds of questions Jonah could have asked the Lord. None of them have been recorded for us to read. Why? We’re able to read questions from Abraham, David, John the Baptist, Job, and Peter. Why is the biblical record silent regarding questions that Jonah must’ve asked?

Perhaps it's because the example of Jonah isn’t so much in his questions, but his defiance. No matter what he could have asked, and no matter what God’s answers may have been, Jonah had made up his mind that God’s will was not his will, and he wasn’t about to do the will of God. His questions—regardless of their intentions—are irrelevant.

Jonah didn’t approach God with a posture of humility or obedience. He wanted God’s will to align with his personal desires.

Beloved, when we allow our desires to supersede God’s plan, even our best-intentioned questions won’t help us. We might not end up in the belly of a great fish, but we do need a wake-up call—sometimes a painful one—as the Lord sets us back on the right track.

ASKING GOD “WHY” IS NOT THE SAME THING AS TELLING GOD “NO.”

We often read of the disciples listening to Jesus, but not applying His teaching. At times they seemed to either ignore or reject His teaching.

Matthew 16 tells us that at one point, the apostle Peter openly rejected Jesus’ prediction of His death and resurrection. Peter replied: “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you” (Matthew 16:22). Imagine telling Jesus that He’s wrong. Peter is both arrogant and near-sighted; he believes that his expectations for the future are more important than the Lord’s plans.

At this point, Peter is expecting Jesus to defeat the Romans in battle and liberate the Jews from oppression. Peter cannot possibly comprehend the grand scale of God’s plan and Jesus rebuked Him by saying, “You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man” (Matthew 16:23).

Before we can say that asking questions is biblically allowable, even invited by the Lord, we need to be clear: our intention to submit is significant.

We ask questions so that God’s Word can inform us and conform us. The growing Christian seeks information about God’s will in order to obey it. The proper intention of our hearts should be to seek opportunities for the Lord’s glory, not raise objections from our own perspective.

When we bring God our questions or concerns—even about matters that are proving to be difficult in our lives—we do so in order to seek God’s heart and submit to God’s will, even when we don’t understand God’s plan.

Before you bring questions to God, remember that His ways and His thoughts are far greater and higher than yours. An attitude of submission and surrender to His sovereign will must underscore every question we ask, and every difficulty we face.