As Christians, we will face uncertainty that can lead us to question God. Let’s use those moments to deepen our relationship with God.
When Faith Meets Doubt: Embracing Uncertainty and How to Deepen Our Relationship with God
Motherhood is by far the toughest job I have ever held. Sure, I have had trouble caring for difficult patients in the emergency room. However, the ease of nursing comes with either a shift change, the patient being discharged, or the transfer of the patient to another floor for continued care. I can’t just say “bye-bye, off you go” to my kids when they are being unruly. Yes, “go to your room” works in a pinch, but we still have to have the discussions and follow through with the consequences.
Parenting can be challenging, and growing up often brings its own set of frustrations. When my kids were younger, I would get pummeled with questions. “Why is the sky blue?” “Where do babies come from?” “Why are peas green?” Some of my answers were probably not the best, but I did try hard to tell them the truth in the simplest terms. I knew they were trying to understand the world around them.
Now my kids are much older and the roles have reversed. I am the one asking the series of questions. “How was your day at school?” “Was lunch good?” “How did it go in math class today?” Then the attitudes begin. “UGH! Mom, why are you always asking so many questions?” If you have teenagers, you know they rarely provide information automatically. Although, they have surprised me from time to time.
I like to think of it as priming them. A single question can unexpectedly spark a 10-minute conversation I never anticipated, which makes me super happy when that happens. Questions can lead us to have a better understanding of a situation. They help us to fill in the gaps that lie between misunderstanding and clarity.
God’s Agenda VS Our Agenda
As a Christian, I have been known to blast God with questions about things I don’t quite understand, especially during times of uncertainty. While my faith has not wavered, my doubt in His timing has. Now I learned I must turn my doubts over to the Bible.
The Bible not only speaks about God, but it also gives us practical instructions for living according to His will. 2 Timothy 3:16 states, All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness. The apostle Paul notes each scripture is helpful in our spiritual development. It’s important to avoid picking and choosing only those parts that serve our agenda.
While we may have questions and be in search of truthful answers, there are those in the Bible who did the same. Some even went as far as criticizing Jesus because His actions went against their narrative. To this day, Christians often do the same. We know God has a plan for us, yet His timing is not to our liking. Thus, we question Him. “Lord, why haven’t you answered my prayers?” “Why have I been waiting 5 years for someone to publish my book?”
When His timing is not our own, we may begin to make up conclusions about God and push to shift our situation into one we think is best. How quickly do we forget? God knows the hidden details we can not possibly know. It is in the waiting when we learn and our faith is strengthened. I heard this phrase and I wish I could recall where I heard it, but “Sometimes it takes God a long time to do something quickly.” It’s true, isn’t it?
Simple Questions Can Lead To Big Answers
Reading from John, chapter 12, we find Jesus and his disciples, six days before the Passover, visiting the town of Bethany. The plan is to attend a dinner given in His honor at the home of Simon the Leper. Mary, Martha, and their brother Lazarus are there. Martha is doing what she does best – serving others and making sure everyone is welcome. Lazarus is reclining back with Jesus at the table.
And Mary, does what she knows best, she interrupts dinner to rest at the feet of Jesus. Many, including the disciples, were not happy with this disruption. Mary’s only focus was to get to Jesus to anoint Him with a pint of expensive pure nard. As she did so, she also began wiping Jesus’ feet with her hair.
This is when a small frenzy occurred. Judas Iscariot couldn’t contain himself and spoke up, asking a question. I imagine him in my head being annoyed in a self-serving kind of way. Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages. John 12:5.
The following scripture in John, 12:6 gives us more details; He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it. Judas was no perfect human being and had his faults, just like us.
Judas’s perspective consisted of an outlook on expenses. However, if he really paid attention, he would have understood Mary’s act of worship. His question would make obvious sense if he truly cared for the poor, but he didn’t. Money was behind his motivation. Both in ancient times and now we see a very common thread. Self-indulgence. Consequently, we find ourselves questioning things that may not hit the mark and, in doing so, we fail to grasp the lesson behind our situation.
Redirecting Our Doubts
Instead of turning to the power of Jesus, Judas decided to follow his expectation into the power of money. Here is the familiar thread between us and Judas. We follow what we think is our biggest priority and begin asking questions due to our lack of understanding.
I am going to tell you something important. Having questions is okay and so is doubting God. He isn’t hurt by our doubts and He knows our hearts. Rather than shying away from our questions or doubts, we can invite them into our prayer life, allowing God to meet us in our vulnerability. As we wrestle with doubt, we discover that it does not diminish our faith, but rather deepens it.
It is through these trials that we learn the most. If God gave us what we wanted in our timing and not His, I know a lesson or two would be missed. There have been instances where I pleaded with God for an easy button, only to discover later that I would have failed to appreciate the valuable opportunities that arose from my struggles.
Growth unfolds through questions; when we pray, we have the opportunity to ask God to illuminate our hearts so that we may recognize His truths over our preconceived notions.
Let’s Pray Together
Dear Heavenly Father,
We thank you for knowing our hearts and allowing us to visit you anytime, even when we have questions and doubts. Lord, give us a deep desire to want to seek you daily, instead of turning to our worries first. Open the eyes of our hearts, so we see what you see. We love you, Lord, and want nothing more than to follow you.
In this, we ask in your precious name, Jesus. Amen!
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