Can We Question God?

            As I was talking to a friend about methods of self-therapy, a couple questions popped into my mind that was remotely related to the topic.

            Is it okay to question God?

            After reading the Bible through the years, I’m convinced the answer is “yes”. You can question God because God questioned God.

            Whoa.

            Okay, to be more specific, Jesus questioned His Father. Matthew 27:46 writes, “About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?’ (which means ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’).” (NIV)

            Even Jesus questioned why He had to go through what He was going through. Even more significant*, we find, in Matthew 27:39, Jesus questioning the foundation of why He came to earth. “And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, ‘My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.’” (ESV) His cup being dying and tortured for us.

            Now to Jesus’ credit, He adds a disclaimer to His plea for the Father. But the fact remained that He cried out to the Father that He (Jesus) wanted Him (the Father) to change His clear will. Jesus KNEW what He had to do, but still wanted His suffering to pass.

            What does that mean for us? That means we can question God, too. In Jeremiah 12:1 (one of my new favorite verses), Jeremiah says, “Righteous art thou, O LORD, when I plead with thee: yet let me talk with thee of thy judgments: Wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper? wherefore are all they happy that deal very treacherously?” (KJV)

            Here Jeremiah is also putting the disclaimer on his question. Jeremiah is like, “alright, yes, we know You are good and perfect and all that jazz. With that out of the way, WHY DO YOU DO THINGS THE WAY YOU DO?”

            So I repeat: It is okay to question God because Jesus and the prophets did.

Here’s MY Disclaimer

            Now I’m playing devil’s advocate. While it is alright to question God, here’s a little something we don’t like.

            He doesn’t have to answer us.

            Look at Job (in the book of Job). He suffered mercilessly at the hands of Satan. You know how mentally comforting it would have been for God to have said, “Job, you are being tested by Satan. Don’t worry! I am going reward you at the end of this”? That would’ve been great!

            But amidst Job’s cries and questions, God simply tells him that he is not God, so he can’t do what he wants. Only God can.

            In the midst of our cries, God doesn’t have to answer why. He doesn’t have to change our situation. For humans, it’s enough for us to know that God is God and we are not. For Christians, it’s enough to know we aren't God AND that God’s salvation is sufficient for us.

            In 2 Corinthians 12:7-9, Paul writes, “Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’” (NIV)

            So here we have Paul begging God to take a physical/spiritual ailment away from him. But God doesn’t take it away or say why it’s there (though Paul Himself gives us that answer); He simply says that His grace is enough.

Summary

            Round one: we can question God. Round two: God doesn’t have to answer our questions. Verdict? As long as we understand who God is (omniscient and omnipotent), we can ask why He does things the way He does. Before I finish this post, I want to raise one more point.

            Jesus, the prophets, Job, and Paul earned the right to question. They were obedient. They suffered and kept fighting the good fight.

            It’s only wrong to question God out of a heart that thinks we are better than Him. That we know more than Him. That we would do better if we were in His place. In these cases the questions don't come from a heart of  humility but one of pride. If we aren’t walking with God, we are trying to replace Him.

            Questions are only as right as the heart of the person asking them.

*In verse 46, Jesus is asking “why?” In verse 39, Jesus is asking for God to change His will. That’s why verse 39 is, to me, more powerful.