Faith Seeking Understanding

“Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to Him, ‘Are You the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?’"—Matthew 11:2-3

Is it ever alright to question God? Job questioned God and was confronted by God Himself with, "Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?”—Job 38:2. When presented with the question of election, of God’s choosing some and not others, Paul responds with,

“You will say to me then, ‘Why does He still find fault? For who can resist His will?’ But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, ‘Why have You made me like this?’"—Romans 9:19-20.

Is it then wrong to question God? It depends upon one’s motives. If one has the motive to accuse God of injustice or wrongdoing, then it is wrong. But if it is to seek understanding, then it is right. Job and Paul each present an example of someone accusing God of what they think is wrongdoing (e.g., choosing some to be saved, and not choosing others). But, when John the Baptist sent his disciples to question Jesus, it was not to accuse God of wrongdoing; rather, it was to understand the truth of God more accurately.

John had been placed in prison because he had spoken out against Herod Antipas’ illegitimate marriage to Herodias, his sister-in-law. Herod fell in love with Herodias when they both were already married. He was married to the daughter of the Nabatean king, Aretas IV, while she was married to his half-brother Philip. Both of them divorced their spouses and married each other—something that God had forbidden (Malachi 2:14-16).

Rotting in prison because of an immoral pagan ruler, while Christ, God’s Messiah, had come to rule, would make the godliest saint question what was going on. It is no wonder John the Baptist was full of questions when the reality of Christ’s reign appeared to conflict with the painful reality he was experiencing (see Matthew 11:1-15). He questioned whether Jesus was the Christ who was to come—not because there wasn’t evidence, but because there was a deep conflict in his soul. It’s as if he said, “If Jesus is the coming King, then why am I lurking in this prison because of the sinful will of this pagan ruler?” His was a faith that sought to understand.

Jesus responded to John’s question with,

"Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by Me"—Matthew 11:5-6.

Jesus was telling John that He, in fact, was the Messiah that God had foretold, but His kingdom was not for the liberation of the Jewish nation from Roman tyranny, but something altogether greater—the liberation from sin, self, and Satan.

We can see from John the Baptist’s example that it’s alright to question, provided the question is grounded in faith seeking understanding, not human understanding seeking to override faith. Those who wrongly question God assert themselves as the Lord of their life and demand that God explain Himself for what He has done—it is as if they are the authors and arbiters of justice. So they, in essence, place themselves over God’s justice. These are individuals who say, “Where are You, God? Why did you let this happen?” Or they say, like one man did after Hurricane Katrina, when someone surmised that God was behind the Hurricane: “If God is behind this, then He has a lot to answer for.” These kinds of statements show how individuals can fancy themselves as better judges and dispensers of justice than God Himself.

On the other hand, those who have genuine faith and really want to understand, desire to know where they fit under His justice. Like John, they want to know where they fit under and within God’s sovereign place, because they know that God’s ways are beyond theirs.

God is not threatened by our questions, for there is nothing outside of His knowledge or control. His thoughts and ways are greater than we will ever be able to know or comprehend (Isaiah 55:8-9; Job 38-41). But, our faith rests in the knowledge of who He is, not in questioning His justice, love, mercy, etc. Our faith seeks to understand in order to marvel, to love more, to walk closer with God.

I pray that each of us would have a faith that seeks not to undermine or question God’s wisdom, goodness and authority, but rather to joyously and peacefully submit to it so that God might be glorified in it. Amen.