The End Of All Questioning
The story of Job is for many people a great mystery.
Hundreds of books have been written about Job and the ones that are the most read are the ones that seek to answer the question "Why do the righteous suffer"? Interestingly the answer to that question is the very problem God had with Job.
If we read this book carefully we will find that the thing that God was after in Job was his idea that he had a right to question God! Mankind as a whole holds his right to ask questions and seek out answers as one of his most inherent and cherished rights.
The truth is that the idea that we have a right to question all things had its root in the Garden of Eden at the fall of man.
Satan knew that if he could get Adam or Eve to start questioning God he would be able to trap them into a type of reasoning that would lead them away from God and into sin.
Most of us think that the right to question all things and seek out answers is what distinguishes our level of intelligence above the animals.
In other words people who do not question are thought of as fools.
Yet the word of God teaches the opposite.
The word of God teaches that those who accept without questioning are the ones who learn the most.
John 7:16-17 KJV 16 Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me.
17 If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, Oh how that goes against the grain of what we think of as intelligent human beings.
Nevertheless, there are certain things that we will never know unless we do and obey without question.
Why then did God give us the ability and desire to learn? Can we learn without asking questions? How can we know when our inquisitiveness is healthy or when it is wicked? No, I believe the Lord is very pleased with our inquisitive behavior.
In fact He is the one who gave it to us.
Nevertheless to ask God the question "why" as an arrogant right is the height of rebellion.
The way we ask has everything to do with whether or not we are going to receive an answer.
To question the motives of God will only get us silence.
To ask about the ways of God will get us answers that will astound and bless us.
Here is the attitude that will give us answers from the Lord.
Ps 25:4-5 NKJV 4 Show me Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths.
5 Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; On You I wait all the day.
For many years I have prayed to see the glory of God that would bring unity to the Church.
To me the greatest need in the body of Christ is this type of unity.
The word of God clearly states that as we receive this glory we will be made one and as a result the world will believe the Church.
After fervently crying out to the Lord for many years that I might see this glory, He granted me a breathtaking encounter with Jesus Christ.
It only lasted a few seconds, but it would take a lifetime to relate all that I learned in those brief moments.
I was ushered into His presence and the first thing that I was aware of was His absolute Sovereignty.
He was not wringing his hands trying to get things to go His way here on earth.
Everything the enemy was doing, He was causing to work together for the good of His purposes.
Satan's purposes were thwarted on every hand with the least amount of effort on the Lord's part.
The second thing I knew beyond any shadow of doubt was His absolute authority, power, wisdom, and love.
Dear one, when we encounter these attributes every question we think we would ask disappears.
In that environment, to ask a question as to why something happened the way it did in our lives would seem ridiculous.
When we are in the presence of perfect Wisdom, a peace beyond imagination envelops us, and all questions seem foolish.
To desire any other life than the one we are living or have lived, seemed the height of folly.
After all He is perfect love, wisdom, power, and authority and He gave us our life.
Oh the wisdom of our great God.
In fact when we are in this kind of wisdom and love, we only want to give thanks that he did not listen to our foolish desires to be someone else, to have a different position than He gave us, or to ever envy anyone or anything.
In His presence all competition evaporates, questions seem empty and foolish.
Love abounds and surrounds us on every hand.
Perfect wisdom, power, and authority testify that all that God does is good and that He could never do anything that was not motivated by pure love.
Dear one, I would never minimize your suffering.
I could never put myself in your shoes and begin to know what you have gone through and you could never know what I have experienced.
Nevertheless, the following verses are absolutely true.
Let us comfort ourselves in knowing that our heavenly Father is in absolute control.
Rom 8:18 NKJV 18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
2 Cor 4:17 KJV 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; Let us conclude this writing with one more blessed verse to love and cling too.
Prov 3:5-6 KJV 5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Hundreds of books have been written about Job and the ones that are the most read are the ones that seek to answer the question "Why do the righteous suffer"? Interestingly the answer to that question is the very problem God had with Job.
If we read this book carefully we will find that the thing that God was after in Job was his idea that he had a right to question God! Mankind as a whole holds his right to ask questions and seek out answers as one of his most inherent and cherished rights.
The truth is that the idea that we have a right to question all things had its root in the Garden of Eden at the fall of man.
Satan knew that if he could get Adam or Eve to start questioning God he would be able to trap them into a type of reasoning that would lead them away from God and into sin.
Most of us think that the right to question all things and seek out answers is what distinguishes our level of intelligence above the animals.
In other words people who do not question are thought of as fools.
Yet the word of God teaches the opposite.
The word of God teaches that those who accept without questioning are the ones who learn the most.
John 7:16-17 KJV 16 Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me.
17 If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, Oh how that goes against the grain of what we think of as intelligent human beings.
Nevertheless, there are certain things that we will never know unless we do and obey without question.
Why then did God give us the ability and desire to learn? Can we learn without asking questions? How can we know when our inquisitiveness is healthy or when it is wicked? No, I believe the Lord is very pleased with our inquisitive behavior.
In fact He is the one who gave it to us.
Nevertheless to ask God the question "why" as an arrogant right is the height of rebellion.
The way we ask has everything to do with whether or not we are going to receive an answer.
To question the motives of God will only get us silence.
To ask about the ways of God will get us answers that will astound and bless us.
Here is the attitude that will give us answers from the Lord.
Ps 25:4-5 NKJV 4 Show me Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths.
5 Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; On You I wait all the day.
For many years I have prayed to see the glory of God that would bring unity to the Church.
To me the greatest need in the body of Christ is this type of unity.
The word of God clearly states that as we receive this glory we will be made one and as a result the world will believe the Church.
After fervently crying out to the Lord for many years that I might see this glory, He granted me a breathtaking encounter with Jesus Christ.
It only lasted a few seconds, but it would take a lifetime to relate all that I learned in those brief moments.
I was ushered into His presence and the first thing that I was aware of was His absolute Sovereignty.
He was not wringing his hands trying to get things to go His way here on earth.
Everything the enemy was doing, He was causing to work together for the good of His purposes.
Satan's purposes were thwarted on every hand with the least amount of effort on the Lord's part.
The second thing I knew beyond any shadow of doubt was His absolute authority, power, wisdom, and love.
Dear one, when we encounter these attributes every question we think we would ask disappears.
In that environment, to ask a question as to why something happened the way it did in our lives would seem ridiculous.
When we are in the presence of perfect Wisdom, a peace beyond imagination envelops us, and all questions seem foolish.
To desire any other life than the one we are living or have lived, seemed the height of folly.
After all He is perfect love, wisdom, power, and authority and He gave us our life.
Oh the wisdom of our great God.
In fact when we are in this kind of wisdom and love, we only want to give thanks that he did not listen to our foolish desires to be someone else, to have a different position than He gave us, or to ever envy anyone or anything.
In His presence all competition evaporates, questions seem empty and foolish.
Love abounds and surrounds us on every hand.
Perfect wisdom, power, and authority testify that all that God does is good and that He could never do anything that was not motivated by pure love.
Dear one, I would never minimize your suffering.
I could never put myself in your shoes and begin to know what you have gone through and you could never know what I have experienced.
Nevertheless, the following verses are absolutely true.
Let us comfort ourselves in knowing that our heavenly Father is in absolute control.
Rom 8:18 NKJV 18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
2 Cor 4:17 KJV 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; Let us conclude this writing with one more blessed verse to love and cling too.
Prov 3:5-6 KJV 5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
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