Searching for God: Week 5 - Questionable Faith: When Doubts are Divine (Walkertown)

“It had too often responded to doubt by reducing Christianity to a system of data. Do you doubt? Just look harder at the evidence. Or the opposite advice is given: ‘Just believe.’ But if you continue to have doubts, what does that imply? That you are unable to follow logic? That you are emotionally compromised? That you are somehow defective for not being able to ‘just believe’? Such thinking obscures the give-and-take relationship between our doubts and our beliefs, both of which are rooted in far more than a simple chain of arguments. - Josh Chatraw and Jack Carson

Talk about how my cousin lost his life in a motorcycle accident.

Tell them about the story of a local pastor in the area who made national headlines, but not for any moral failure or something great he had done, but due to a major tragedy in his life… the death of his wife and unborn child.

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If you were put in the same situation as Davey how do you think you would have responded?

Davey and his wife Amanda had moved all the way from South Carolina to plant a church in Indy. Then one morning when Davey went to go workout tragedy struck. I got to hear him talk about this and how as Christians when things that are beyond our control happen it can cause us to wrestle and even question God.

Ask Leslie the same thing happened when we moved to Lafayette. Or maybe even earlier, when we had our miscarriage. Not only were we angry and hurting, but we ended up asking God why.

Why make us go through something like this and why did he even allow it to happen. But here is the thing its not like we are the only people in the whole world this has happened, nor even in the Bible. Obviously I’m talking about my main man David or wait maybe it was Peter. No I remember now, it was a man by the name of Job.

INFO ON JOB

Let me give you a little bit of info on the type of man that Job was:

Job 1:1–5 NLT

There once was a man named Job who lived in the land of Uz. He was blameless—a man of complete integrity. He feared God and stayed away from evil. He had seven sons and three daughters. He owned 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 teams of oxen, and 500 female donkeys. He also had many servants. He was, in fact, the richest person in that entire area. Job’s sons would take turns preparing feasts in their homes, and they would also invite their three sisters to celebrate with them. When these celebrations ended—sometimes after several days—Job would purify his children. He would get up early in the morning and offer a burnt offering for each of them. For Job said to himself, “Perhaps my children have sinned and have cursed God in their hearts.” This was Job’s regular practice.

Job was a godly man, someone who wanted to honor God with everything that he did.

What want to know something really crazy about Job too?

He did all of this without the Bible. He lived in a time that did not have what the Jews would call the Books of the Law that told them how to live and how to worship God.

Job was living a life that he was in constant communication with God and did everything in his power to honor and worship Him.

Yet it was this exact lifestyle that maybe a certain someone take notice:

Job 1:6–12 NLT

One day the members of the heavenly court came to present themselves before the Lord, and the Accuser, Satan, came with them. “Where have you come from?” the Lord asked Satan. Satan answered the Lord, “I have been patrolling the earth, watching everything that’s going on.” Then the Lord asked Satan, “Have you noticed my servant Job? He is the finest man in all the earth. He is blameless—a man of complete integrity. He fears God and stays away from evil.” Satan replied to the Lord, “Yes, but Job has good reason to fear God. You have always put a wall of protection around him and his home and his property. You have made him prosper in everything he does. Look how rich he is! But reach out and take away everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face!” “All right, you may test him,” the Lord said to Satan. “Do whatever you want with everything he possesses, but don’t harm him physically.” So Satan left the Lord’s presence.

That wasn’t all either after this Job still praised God and on top of that he did not blame God either. But Satan was not done there:

Job 2:1–10 NLT

One day the members of the heavenly court came again to present themselves before the Lord, and the Accuser, Satan, came with them. “Where have you come from?” the Lord asked Satan. Satan answered the Lord, “I have been patrolling the earth, watching everything that’s going on.” Then the Lord asked Satan, “Have you noticed my servant Job? He is the finest man in all the earth. He is blameless—a man of complete integrity. He fears God and stays away from evil. And he has maintained his integrity, even though you urged me to harm him without cause.” Satan replied to the Lord, “Skin for skin! A man will give up everything he has to save his life. But reach out and take away his health, and he will surely curse you to your face!” “All right, do with him as you please,” the Lord said to Satan. “But spare his life.” So Satan left the Lord’s presence, and he struck Job with terrible boils from head to foot. Job scraped his skin with a piece of broken pottery as he sat among the ashes. His wife said to him, “Are you still trying to maintain your integrity? Curse God and die.” But Job replied, “You talk like a foolish woman. Should we accept only good things from the hand of God and never anything bad?” So in all this, Job said nothing wrong.

Following up with the loss of his kids and possessions Satan then went after Job’s health as well, yet in all of this he still didn’t blame God, but while Job didn’t blame God that does not mean he didn’t question God.

MAIN MESSAGE

IT IS OK TO QUESTION GOD

See Job was hurting not just emotionally, but physically as well and because of all of this he even question whether he should have even been born at all as it is recorded in Job:

Job 3:11–13 NLT

“Why wasn’t I born dead? Why didn’t I die as I came from the womb? Why was I laid on my mother’s lap? Why did she nurse me at her breasts? Had I died at birth, I would now be at peace. I would be asleep and at rest.

Job not only at this point of questioning God, but through all of this grief he was even questioning if he should have even been born. See with this idea of questioning God, I do want to encourage you as we see even from Job’s life it is this idea: It is Ok to Question God.

When has there been a time in your life where you have questioned God? Did he ever respond?

GOD IS IN CONTROL

Job was living a hard life and he did have it tough and without having to read you the whole story of Job, I do want to touch on his “friends” real quick. except for when they are first introduced in the story where they show up and shut up, they are pretty bad friends. Instead of comforting Job, just like his wife, they blame Job and ask him what is wrong in his life for God to treat him like this. This even leads Job to even ask God this same question:

Job 7:19–21 NLT

Why won’t you leave me alone, at least long enough for me to swallow! If I have sinned, what have I done to you, O watcher of all humanity? Why make me your target? Am I a burden to you? Why not just forgive my sin and take away my guilt? For soon I will lie down in the dust and die. When you look for me, I will be gone.”

Job took his questioning even further, he is not just questioning why he was born, but is not questioning God as to why God is doing what He is doing. And the thing is God does not forget that Job asked this either. After there is this massive discourse between Job and his friends, God does what he always does in our most trying times, He enters into the picture:

Job 38:1–7 NLT

Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind: “Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorant words? Brace yourself like a man, because I have some questions for you, and you must answer them. “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me, if you know so much. Who determined its dimensions and stretched out the surveying line? What supports its foundations, and who laid its cornerstone as the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?

Job had been asking questions and now God had decided to give His answer. Now as we look at God’s response, for instead of Job asking the question God flipped it back to him and started asking Job the questions. God wanted Job to understand something and it is something that when it comes to questioning God that we all need to know: God is in Control.

This idea sucks though. Let’s be honest though, who here loves to be in control? Then on the opposite side, who likes to then have to surrender that control? One of the biggest things that can really force you to be humbled is this reminder that God gave Job. Job was never in control and the one in control is God. When pain, tragedy, suffering, confusion, the unknown, yes like the Frozen Song, it forces us to come to grips that we are not in control, but what can seem like a pain actually can give us comfort.

Think about it when life is all messed up, who would you rather have in control you or God?

Read Job 38:1–7 “Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind: “Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorant words? Brace yourself like a man, because I have some questions for you, and you must answer them. “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me, if you know so much. Who determined its dimensions and stretched out the surveying line? What supports its foundations, and who laid its cornerstone as the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?”

Do you like being in control or letting others be in control? How does in make you feel to know that God is in control?

WHILE QUESTIONING GOD, DON’T STOP TRUSTING HIM

Now I do want to take us out of Job and to a book of the Bible that some of you may think I just made up right now its is called Habakkuk. And yes that is how you say it and yes it is a real book of the Bible. Habakkuk is one of the minor prophets during the Old Testament and he too would ask God questions, yet unlike Job he is not scolded for it. Look at what is written:

Habakkuk 1:2 NLT

How long, O Lord, must I call for help? But you do not listen! “Violence is everywhere!” I cry, but you do not come to save.

In his cry for help God then informs Habakkuk that Judah would fall to Babylon, which then leads to Habakkuk to question God again.

Habakkuk 1:12–13 NLT

O Lord my God, my Holy One, you who are eternal— surely you do not plan to wipe us out? O Lord, our Rock, you have sent these Babylonians to correct us, to punish us for our many sins. But you are pure and cannot stand the sight of evil. Will you wink at their treachery? Should you be silent while the wicked swallow up people more righteous than they?

Habakkuk had a very reasonable question if you think about it, Babylon who is really is the worse out of the two evils when compared to Judah, why was God going to use them to punish and correct Judah, God’s chosen nation.

Let’s be honest here who else would have asked that question?

But then look at how Habakkuk ended his prayer and question:

Habakkuk 2:1 NLT

I will climb up to my watchtower and stand at my guardpost. There I will wait to see what the Lord says and how he will answer my complaint.

He has faith in who the Lord is and is still going to trust in His plan. Also Habakkuk doesn’t call it a question more like he knows he is complaining to God about something.

I really like this quote from David Baker that really can sum up this whole idea that we see in both Job and Habakkuk

Many view questioning God as sinful, but Habakkuk and Job show this is not so.

David W. Baker

When looking back at this quote, how has your view changed on the idea of questioning God? Would you say that it is ok?

Yet I do want to focus on this difference that we can notice and it is this: While Questioning God, Don’t Stop Trusting Him.

This is the major difference that we can notice between the questions that Job asks and the ones that Habakkuk asks. Baker also shows this idea specifically while looking at Habakkuk when he says:

Habakkuk the prophet teaches us that questioning God is acceptable; it is refusing to trust God that causes our downfall.

David W. Baker

APPLICATION

NEVER LOSE FAITH

So great I can ask God questions when I don’t understand something or confused, why should I care?

But see it is that very idea about why it matters. There are some Christians who hold this belief that you can not even question God and that we just have to move around acting like robots. But last time I checked I don’t have to plug in at night to recharge. I mean maybe Drake, but that’s just about it right. But here is the thing God made us with freewill and not just as robots following commands that someone gives us.

But here is the thing when it comes to God the question never should be about doubting God or having questions, but about faith and trust. We can even see this in one of the disciples of Jesus who we have nicknames Doubting Thomas, yet look what Warren Wiersbe says about the man:

We call him “Doubting Thomas,” but Jesus did not rebuke him for his doubts. He rebuked him for unbelief: “Be not faithless, but believing.” Doubt is often an intellectual problem: we want to believe, but the faith is overwhelmed by problems and questions. Unbelief is a moral problem; we simply will not believe.

Warren W. Wiersbe

So here is why it matters, questions and doubt all you want but: Never Lose Faith.

Faith is the big picture.

Now let me finish the rest of Davey’s story. He was able to work through all of the healing and grief, he did get remarried and has a kid with his new wife, but something that is really crazy is that his new wife knew more about him than those just following along on the news. This was because it just so happened that her father was a Chaplin for the jail, and he was the one who was talking with the three men who broke into the house and killed Amanda. His goal was to share Jesus with them. Now just think about that for a moment on top of just having to work through the pain and suffering that you are going through, but then to also find out that your future father-in-law is actively trying to help the 3 men who put you through all of this see Jesus, how would you respond? Maybe you should read his book and find out then.

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO WRESTLE WITH GOD ABOUT?

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While talking about his book and his story Davey does share something that I want you guys to hear as well: (first 3.12)

Davey was talking about grief and wrestling with God. He hit this idea that we have been talking about tonight. This idea is something I want to leave with you as you get ready for Small Groups:

What do you Need to Wrestle with God About?

Let’s pray.

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