In my experience all new followers of Jesus have questions, lots of questions. So do those of us who have been following Jesus for most of our lives. We want answers to things that trouble us and often challenge our faith. But here's the thing - faith is always a choice we must intentionally make, not as an alternative among many equal possibilities but as the one true path to confidence and peace. Jesus is that one path - ALWAYS! Living with real assurance is one of the gifts we receive from the Holy Spirit. But, that can require walking a crooked and rocky road to get to that place. Getting there requires:
(1) the forward progress of TIME, which is what faith does, points us forward;
(2) PATIENCE to just allow God to do what he does in his own way and his own time;
(3) TRUST that although I don't have answers to all my questions, I know enough to cling to my faith in every circumstance because I know Jesus as my Lord and High Priest.
When Paul wrote his first letter to the disciples of Jesus in Thessalonica, he knew they were being bombarded with challenges to their faith. All you need do is read about his efforts to establish the church in that city just a few months earlier (Acts 17) and how he literally had to escape certain death from some radical Jews. So, he and Silas and Timothy went on to Berea, then to Athens. Those Jewish agitators followed him to those cities stirring up more trouble. He finally went to Corinth where it is believed he wrote 1 Thessalonians, one of his earliest letters.
Here is my "go to" encouragement from Paul when I start to analyze my unanswered questions:
"May God himself, the God of peace sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The One who calls you is faithful and he will do it." 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 NIV
"May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together - spirit, soul and body - and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ. The One who called you is completely dependable. If he said it, he'll do it." The Message
When I left home at 19 I had been a Christian for seven years. I grew up in a Christian family where I learned early that God is my Father, Jesus is my Savior and the Bible is their word to me and the basis of all that I believed. That's all good. But, after attending a Christian college I knew I had to separate myself from all of it because my belief was essentially my family's faith. I knew I had to discover what was beyond the protective bubble that I had grown up in. So, after a long discussion with my Dad, and his encouragement to pursue what I felt I needed to do, I joined the Navy.
I left home with a mix of excitement and apprehension. For three years I tried hard to run away from the God I had grown up afraid of. My Mom kept me connected to home because she wrote me a letter every week and enclosed the weekly church bulletin. But, on the few occasions when I came home on leave, I chose to not go with my family to church. They never condemned me but I feel pretty sure others in that community of believers wrote me off as a lost cause.
My four years in the Navy put me in close contact with many people who were convinced that "God" was the creation of men. I tried to be an atheist, I really did. Many years later I sat with my Mom to sincerely apologize to her for all the ignorant, immature, absolutely crazy stuff I wrote her over most of those years. She just ignored it all and kept writing and sending the church bulletin.
Finally, God, the true Father showed up. In a big way. I wont go into all the details here. You can read it all in the Introduction of my book, "Yes Lord I'm Listening", if you wish. I'll just say that God did for me exactly what Paul told the disciples at Thessalonica he will always do.
Do I still have some questions? Sure. But they are few. I keep them stored away in a very personal place in my spirit where I meet with God. He has let me know the same thing Job came to realize after his really personal encounter with God. I don't need answers to all my questions, I just need to know God and that's enough.
"If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But, when he asks, he must believe and not doubt because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind." James 1:5-6 NIV
As your Father, God always wants to hear your voice speaking directly to him. However if you expect him to answer your prayers for wisdom with some sort of immediate brain explosion, you maybe disappointed. He certainly can and probably does that at times, but generally that wisdom comes after days, weeks, months even years of searching God's word for your answers. But, never hesitate to tell him what you are feeling and think you need from him. He may not always give you what you ask for, but he will give you something different or better or he may just say "Not yet!"
Probably most of our questions are very personal rather than theological. The question I have heard most in counseling sessions is this - "Why?" They relate to personal tragedy and very hard situations we have to deal with, just like Job. Answering most of our "Why?" questions will have to wait for eternity in the Father's house. But then, they really won't matter at all.
Until next time, keep giving God the glory!
Awesome!
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