Questioning God

‘ Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge’ – Psalm 62:8 (NIV 2010)

In Luke chapter 1 we read of two people questioning God and getting two different reactions from God. Zechariah, the priest who was John the Baptist’s father asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years” (verse 18) and he was chastised with dumbness. But when Mary, our Lord’s mother asked, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” (verse 34), she received encouragement. Both of them seemed to be asking the same kind of question, so why the different reactions from God?

It is not wrong to ask God questions. What is wrong is to question him. This is not a play on words but rather a question of the attitude with which we ask our questions. In the one case, like Mary, we are being naked with God and pouring out our limited understanding and heart’s burden before him. Yet we do it with our eyes on him and our ears open to him – wanting to trust, wanting to hear and follow. This was Mary’s attitude. That was why her immediate response when God gave her further light was ‘I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled.” (verse 38).

But when we question God, we put him in the dock and on trial. We are the Judge and he must answer to us. Our eyes are not on him rather we demand that he conforms to our limited understanding. This was the attitude that God chastised in Zechariah. When we are questioning God our ears are not open to him, we are just venting our unbelief and grumblings.

Please note that the difference has nothing to do with the words we use, but the attitude of our hearts as we bring our questions before God. God is not offended when his servants, in the midst of the pains of life, cry, ‘O Lord, my God why have you forsaken me!’ God wants us to be real with him – to pour out our hearts to him and yet to trust him.

‘ Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge’ – Psalm 62:8

God calls us to pour out our hearts to him in an attitude of trust. God loves it when we run to him instead of running away from him even if we run to him with questions from our heavy hearts. He does not even mind us pouring out our complaints before him, if we do it from an attitude of trust. The Psalms and the Prophets are full of men pouring out their questions to God and receiving his encouragement. So, let us also draw near with our questions, but with a trusting heart.