Asking God the Hard Questions
Do anyone else’s kids ask them five hundred questions a day or is it just me? I’m sure I’m not the only one. Mine pepper them throughout the day but they always seem to ramp them up when I’m in the middle of doing something else, like making their lunches or trying to get them ready for bed. Sometimes they’re thought-provoking questions; others are repeated daily like clockwork.
”Mom, why do you take those vitamins? How come you have so many when we only get one? Why do you take two of each?” the boys ask each night as we start our bedtime routine and I try to wrangle them into the shower. What started out as genuine curiosity has morphed into a habitual complaint, a stalling tactic, or grab for attention.
Another favorite: ”Where’s dad?”
Well, it’s a safe bet that he’s doing the same thing he does six days a week. “He’s at work.”
“But what job is he at?”
Eventually, a good number of my answers to their questions end up being “I don’t know.” Can I just say that I do not like not knowing? Much like my kids, I find myself asking why, how, when, where a lot. Sometimes, it’s playing out a scenario in my head that hasn’t even happened yet or might not even happen at all. Many times, I’m trying to figure out the answers for myself.
In the book of Habakkuk, Habakkuk the prophet cries out to God, you might even say he complains to God, asking him some very pointed questions. Where are you, God? Why aren’t you listening? The world around me looks like a flaming dumpster fire–why don’t you do something about it? Will it always be this way?
Okay, so I may have taken some liberties with the wording here, but the sentiment is the same and much like the world of today. God does not reprimand Habakkuk. Instead, he lays out for him what will happen, and it’s not good, at least not in Habakkuk’s view. In fact, it sounds like it’s going to get a whole lot worse. Habakkuk again questions the vision God has given, but he also recognizes and acknowledges God’s character. He wants to understand why and how these things could be when the circumstances God describes are diametrically opposed to what he knows to be true about God. In short, God is sovereign and good, so why is he allowing bad things to happen?
Again, God answers. He tells Habakkuk to write everything down, to tell others that they should wait patiently; his word and promises will be fulfilled. He ends by reminding Habakkuk of who is in control–the Lord is in his holy Temple–and it compels Habakkuk to write one of the most descriptive, awe-inspiring prayers praising God.
I used to think that certain questions were not appropriate to ask of God, like it meant that I didn’t have enough faith or trust or that questioning was disrespectful. Who am I, after all, to question the God of the universe? One thing I’ve learned (i.e., re-learning, over and over) is that God is not put off by my questioning. It’s okay to turn to God in our frustration, to ask the hard questions. The questioning isn’t the problem–it’s letting it turn into a habitual complaint, when we get stuck in our questioning or caught up in our circumstances to where we no longer see God for who he is, when our focus becomes limited to our problems and not the one who has all the answers.
I was reminded this week, through my six-year-old son’s Bible lesson actually, that I was not made to know or understand everything—only God is. It sounds so simple, so foundational, and it is, but it’s also easy to forget and think that we have to figure it all out. We have to have the answers. But in the beginning, God designed it so that we would rely on him to determine what was right and wrong, what should or shouldn’t be. Some things we just aren’t going to understand this side of eternity, but we can take comfort in remembering God’s character. We can reflect on his goodness and faithfulness, despite what the world around us looks like, and let it usher us into a place of worship and peace.