If God is so good, where is He when we need Him most?
Do you ever just want to ask the hard questions out loud? "God, if you are so good, why do you allow little children to get abused?" "God, why are you so seemingly silent?" "Why don't you protect us like you say you will?"
Maybe you don't ask these questions...I do.
I'm not the only one.
Habakkuk asked them to God point blank. "Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrong?" "Why are you silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves? You have made men like fish in the sea, like sea creatures that have no ruler."
Habakkuk was hashing it out with God. Have you allowed yourself the vulnerability to do so? Have you gone before the Lord with the hard questions, the ones that probably won't get answered in this life? Have you let yourself be ripped apart with doubt? Have you taken a pure, authentic, emotional, physical, bone shaking, to the core look at what you believe and why?
Let's go there. Let's hash it out. Let's ask the hard questions so that at the other end we will either be totally sold-out, by faith, in love with Jesus - authentically, or we will become an "ex-Christian."
Sounds harsh, right? I've been there. I came to a pivotal point in my "spiritual walk" not too long ago, where I had to decide if I really believed God, not just believed in Him - although that was part of it. I was rocked to my core. As I went through this extremely painful time, I felt as though my life-blood was draining from me. I had to decided - by faith, or by sight. (Getting totally authentic with my faith and asking God the hard questions works for me).
I anchored.
Wanna hash it out? Join in on our 5:16 study beginning today in the forum. You don't have to be a "member." You don't have to get up early. Just come with it...come raw and ready.
Join me daily, hashing out life, by subscribing here.
(By the way, I'm also hanging out here today, talkin' about "What Kind of Woman Do Your Children See?")
13 comments:
I had a faith shaking experience about 3 years ago. My foundation was shaken a bit, but the Anchor of my soul did hold.
Bless you,
Beth
Right now I am doing some sifting so I am really looking forward to this study. My Bible study group is doing "When Godly People Do Ungodly Things" and I think this will go right along with it. I never have done one of these with you so I have signed up and I hope I can catch on. Thank you!
God is so Good!
I am so excited about this new study - I'll try to come by the forum later today. I spent almost a year in the state of "faith shaking" about five years ago. It changes everything.
It' s good to know that even when our anger and misunderstanding comes to a head ...HIS shoulders are big enough to handle it all.
Looking forward to the day when the old will pass away.
I don't really ask the hard questions as I just have this attitude that we live in a sinfilled fallen world. However, my sister really struggles with "Why does God let bad things happen?" and it really effects her walk and faith. It's tough for me to explain these things but I just trust that God has a plan that is so much bigger than me and I can't fathom the whole picture.
Sarah Mae, I hope I did not sound offensive in my last comment. That would never be my intention. I just meant to say that I deal with this same question with my sister and the hardest thing about it is trying to explain why. I have no idea why other than God is in Control and still sitting on the Throne but how do you explain that. It's next to impossible. Oh, and as for talking to your children about it that is a whole other very hard scenario. I think the biggest thing is there are more questions than answers.
I wonder these things myself. I know my Anchor holds, but how to I teach my son to depend on that same Anchor when his faith gets shaken? Hard questions, indeed.
I like how you to come "raw and ready." That is true raw with nothing held back and ready to see the power, and faithfulness of God.
I do believe it is in asking the hard questions that we truly become raw and ready to serve!
Nice post! I am enjoying your blog!
Hi Sarah Mae,
Thanks for visiting my site and commenting on bringing in traffic. I really appreciate it. I already follow ProBlogger and I'm signed up to participate in the blog improvement month. I'll definitely look into guest posters. Thank you again.
asking God the hard questions... i was rock bottom a few years back and yelled at God to deal with some of these questions... I was shaken, stirred and renewed through it. A great study, can't wait to see where this goes!
(already got your rss feed going! lol)
I asked all these questions myself about a year or so ago...completely changed my life. I think I'll join you in the study! I've just visited the forum today for the first-how cool!
-kristen
I will be checking it out. Thanks Sarah Mae! And thanks for sharing this with us!
We just went through the book of Habakkuk this month in our small group at church! I'd never really read it with any clarity before and greatly enjoyed it.
I think Tim Keller approaches some of these larger issues in his book "The Reason for God" -- in some ways as a way for both non-Christians and Christians both to approach the hard questions together. It helped me see, in a non-judgmental but clear way, how to respond when people say things like "I can't believe in a God who lets children suffer" [or another hard, sinful issue].
I will say this: the terrible suffering in the world makes me long for that day when all is made new.
Post a Comment