It is not uncommon for believers in God to question their faith. Faith, after all, requires believing not in what is seen, but what is unseen. If we could see God, we wouldn’t need faith. But because we can’t see Him, but only experience the things He does in our lives, we must operate in faith. Not only that, but we must operate in faith in many cases where others do not see the same results that we do. Our faith becomes a very personal thing.
But even the disciples, who walked with Jesus for more than three years, struggled with their faith. There are a number of times in the gospels where Jesus rebuked His disciples for their lack of faith. It is clear, from how Jesus interacted with His disciples, that faith was an important factor in their relationship. Why would that be?
But without faith it is impossible to please Him (God), for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. – Hebrews 11:6
Without faith it is impossible to please God. That’s an important concept for this discussion, as we will soon discover. Questioning God in faith and questioning God without faith are two different things. I’m not talking about the “name it and claim it” brand of faith here; Hebrews 11:6 is clear in stating that faith is about believing that God is; that’s the kind of faith I’m referring to. As for the part about Him being a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him, that doesn’t necessarily mean with material blessings. God can reward us in many different ways; He’s not limited to that.
Faith is key to questioning God, as it affects our motivation for the question, rather than the fact or form of the question. We seen many examples of people in the Bible who questioned God. Some did so because of not understanding and wanting clarification. Others did it because they didn’t believe what God or one of His angels were telling them. God saw the motive in their heart and answered accordingly.
It is important to understand that questioning one of God’s angels is essentially the same as questioning God. The word “angel” refers to one who is an agent or messenger of God. The Greek dictionary in Strong’s Concordance defines angel as:
aggelos
ang’-el-os
From aggello (probably derived from G71; compare G34; to bring tidings); a messenger; especially an “angel;” by implication a pastor: – angel, messenger.
We will see this in scripture in a moment, when we talk about Zacharias, for the angel Gabriel speaks of his role in being a messenger of God.
Mary – Questioning in Faith
While there are other things that angels do, we see them in the Bible fulfilling this role of being a messenger, than any other way. Perhaps the most well-known instance of this happening, along with the most well-known instance of someone questioning God is that of Mary, when the angel told her that she would give birth to the Son of God.
Then the angel said to her (Mary), “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus… 34 Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” 35 And the angel answered and said to her, “the Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also that the Holy One is to be born will be called the Son of God. – Luke 1:30-31, 34-35
Note that the angel did not rebuke Mary for her question. No lightning came down from heaven and God didn’t change his mind about using Mary to be the mother of His only begotten Son. Rather, the angel answered her question and then, in the following verses (not shown), gave her some collaborating evidence. The angel concludes by saying:
For with God, nothing will be impossible – Luke 1:37
No particular reason for this statement is given. It could be something that the angel said as collaborating evidence or that it was said to bolster Mary’s faith. In either case, it is a powerful statement and one that we could all use to remember. For Mary, it was apparently just what she needed to hear, as we can see from her answer:
Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. – Luke 1:38
It’s relevant to note that it isn’t until this statement that we, as readers of the Scriptures, can tell what Mary’s heart was and the motive behind her question. The question itself doesn’t show us that she was asking for clarification, wanting to believe; but not understanding. Yet this reaction makes that clear.
Zacharias – Questioning without Faith
While Mary’s questioning was done in faith, the same can’t be said of everyone. One such example was with the husband of Mary’s older cousin, Elizabeth, earlier in the same chapter of Luke. As such, the Old Testament law tells us that was supposed to be a descendant of Aaron. Interestingly enough, verse five tells us that his wife was a descendent of Aaron as well. The next verse explains why God selected them to be the parents of John the Baptist:
And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. – Luke 1:6
Unfortunately for Zacharias and Elizabeth, they had never had a child and were now old enough that such a thing was unlikely. But it really was no more unlikely than Mary giving birth, even though she was a virgin. Women have given birth to babies even in their 70s. Yet Zacharias had given up on that.
While Zacharias was serving his turn as priest at the Temple, when an angel of God visited him:
“Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense (this is located before the veil that separates the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies). 12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled and fear fell upon him. 13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John…” Luke 1:11-13
The angel then goes on to expand upon who John will grow up to be; before John responds:
And Zacharias said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.” 19 And the angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings. 20 But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time.” Luke 1:18-20
There are two key things here, which show us Zacharias’ faith and mental state. The first is found in verse 12, where it says that Zacharias was fearful, upon seeing Gabriel. Granted, a lot of people would be fearful at seeing an angel for the first time; but not everyone. One could just as easily respond in awe to the sight of an angel, rather than fear.
But Luke didn’t leave us wondering about whether that was a lack of faith; because Gabriel himself states that Zacharias says so, in verse 19. In this case, his lack of faith caused him to become a mute until his son John was born.
I think it’s pertinent to note that God didn’t change His plan because of Zacharias lack of faith in questioning the angel. Rather, God, through the angel Gabriel, takes action to ensure that Zacharias lack of faith will not get in the way of God’s plans. By making him mute, Zacharias couldn’t continue speaking out his lack of faith. Once John was born and Zacharias declared, in writing, that his name should be John, his voice returned and he praised God.
There are Many Doubters in the Bible
The Bible is filled with people who questioned God, including some of the greatest heroes of the faith. We can find instances of Adam, Eve, Abraham, Sarah, Moses, David Elijah and John the Baptist questioning God. Yet in all these cases, we find that God used them greatly. In a very real sense, we can say that part of what made them great is that they overcame their doubt, in order to obey God and receive His blessings.
Even Jesus’ own disciples had doubts, questioning God. There are many times in the Gospels where we find Jesus rebuking them for their lack of faith. This wasn’t punishing them, but rather challenging them to overcome their own doubt. He always answered their questions, using them as an opportunity to teach.
God even tells us to “test Him” in the Old Testament book of Malachi. The passage in question is one in which the prophet Malachi is rebuking the people about their lack of giving tithes and offerings to God, thereby robbing from Him. Going beyond the rebuke, God tells the people of Judah to “try him.”
“Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “IF I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such a blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it. 11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, so that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,” says the Lord of hosts.” – Malachi 3:10-11
So, just what does it mean to “try God?” The Hebrew word there is “bachan,” which means to examine, test or prove. God is literally telling the people of Judah to put Him to the test, an action that clearly implies that they are questioning God. However, in this case, they’re not questioning from the viewpoint of clarification, as Mary did; but God Himself is telling them to put Him to the test. This is the only place where God does this in the Bible; but it is a powerful statement.
Even though God doesn’t say to prove or try Him in other circumstances, in reality, every time a believer does something where they are expecting God to move, they are doing just that. The first part of Acts, chapter 3 has a wonderful story about Peter and John going to the temple to pray. As they approached, a lame man, who was a beggar, asked them for alms. Their response demonstrated their faith, while also putting God to the test. God passed.
Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” 7 And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. – Acts 3:6-7
It’s important to note that this was the very first miracle performed after Jesus’ death, resurrection and ascension into heaven. Peter and John didn’t have a lot of experience healing people, even though they had seen Jesus heal many. It was an act of pure faith, trusting that God would answer and support their “test.”
Questioning as a Part of Bible Study
We started out by looking at how Mary questioned God, for the purpose of learning. As we study the Bible, that’s the right way to question God. The more questions we ask ourselves and God, the more we learn. The Holy Spirit, in his office as teacher, will find ways of answering those questions for us. The answer may not come through speaking to us directly; but our questions will be answered nonetheless, instructing us.
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. – John 14:26
Questioning is a normal part of learning. We learn more by the questions we ask, than we do by any lecture or reading of textbooks. For it is the questions that we ask which open our minds up to receiving new information, thereby allowing us to learn.
There are many different questions we should ask as a normal part of our Bible study; questions to the Holy Spirit. Some of these questions can force us to dig deeper, looking for the answers; but others will need to be answered by the Holy Sprit Himself. Some key questions to ask include:
- When and where was this said?
- Who was it said to?
- What’s the cultural context of this verse?
- How does that cultural context affect the interpretation of this verse?
- What happened or was said before and after this verse?
- What does this passage actually mean?
- What is God saying here?
- What does this tell me about God?
- What does this tell me about myself?
- What does this tell me about mankind in general?
- What action does this passage require of me?
- How does this passage impact how I should live my life?
- Why did this thing happen or why did God or Jesus say it?
- Is my current understanding of this passage correct or do I need to modify it?
- What else does the Bible say about this concept and where does it say it?
- How does the information in this passage interact with other parts of scripture to give a full picture of God and His will?
This list can go on and on. The point is to take the time to question God, so that you will be able to gain understanding. Many people just read the Bible, as if it were a story book. That’s not what we are told to do; we are told to study it. That’s a whole other thing.
Study to show thyself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. – 2 Timothy 2:15
Everyone struggles with knowing whether the answers they receive come from the Holy Spirit or from another source. We can say that the Holy Spirit has a “voice,” even though He doesn’t speak to us in an audible voice. Rather, he speaks in the soft still voice that we first see Him using to talk to Elijah, in 1 Kings 19:9-18.
So, how do you know that God is speaking to you? First, God will never say something to you that contradicts His Word, the Bible. He hasn’t changed His mind and He’s not going to do so, just because we question Him.
God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? – Numbers 23:19
Secondly, the Bible tells us that we are to “test the spirits” to make sure that they are from God. A simple test is given for us to use – that those spirits confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh from God. If the “voices” that we hear deny that, they are not from God; but the Holy Spirit of God will always point us towards Jesus Christ.
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the sprits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world. – 1 John 4:1-3
What if I’m Questioning, Because I’m Angry at God?
It is not uncommon for people to find themselves angry at God, especially when something happens which shakes their faith. Some of the biggest and hardest questions we ask God come at these times, as we try to come to grips with the loss of a loved one or some other tragedy in our lives.
Yet, God doesn’t even hold this against us. His biggest concern at such a time is to provide us with comfort, which he does through His Holy Spirit. The issue that we need to deal with is forgiving God, as our anger shows that we somehow hold Him responsible for the tragedy in our lives. But it is clear that any and all tragedy comes from the enemy, not from God.
The thief (the devil) does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. – John 10:10
Some people have trouble with the idea of us forgiving God, because God can do no wrong. But we are not forgiving Him for His sake, nor because He has done wrong. Rather, we are forgiving Him for our sake, because we are doing wrong in holding Him responsible for something that He did not do. We are releasing our own bitterness, in recognition of just how good God is. As we forgive, we are released from our own emotional pain.