"Finding God in the ?QUESTION?"
Habakkuk 2:3, “For the vision (your question) is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry (the answer you are seeking), wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.”
It is a challenge indeed! Life is full of so many questions marks in every direction…
Questions are not wrong. How does one learn…simply by asking questions. Often times, however, we ask questions of God and when an immediate response is not given, we begin to validate and rationalize our own questions in order to produce a quicker more favorable response.
When you ask a question, what do you do next???? You have to wait for a response. You may stand there and ask a question face to face to someone, but you still have to wait for them to think and then respond. When you email, text, or write a letter etc…you have to wait for a reply. Once you get your answer, you are happy that they took time and replied back. But, we are NOT always satisfied or even happy with the response we receive.
Here is an example for you – As a child, you have most likely asked your parent IF you could go over to a friend’s house to hang-out. At times the answer to your QUESTION came in the form of a NO. And 99.9% of the time that “no” was not exactly what you wanted to hear in response to your question. However, 99.9% of the time that parent had a valid reason for why their response came as a “no” to your question. The “no” was for your benefit from a parental view.
Now taking that perspective, what is your question to God? This is definitely on a much LARGER scale, yes, but the concept is very similar. OFTEN times we have questions, which is perfectly normal. We understand that IT IS EASY TO ASK a question, but it is difficult for us to grasp the concept that the response from God comes WITH and IN HIS time. You see, we as humans limit everything within the concept of a time frame. We think we need the answer right now, in this moment, at this specific time. However, God answers in the liberty of time. When time is given to a question that has been asked, the pieces fall into place accordingly, and the answer becomes more apparent. Timing is everything, so wait…
You understand??? Going back: you ask a QUESTION and then you must WAIT for a response. Just because you ask a question of God does NOT mean that He is obliged to answer you immediately. God sees all things and knows all things, does He not? He created you and knows exactly how you function, how you act and react. God knows what’s best for YOU. Lamentations 3: 25,26, “The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in Him. The Lord is good unto them that wait for Him, to the soul that seeketh him.”
Now let me share. There were questions that I had when I was in my teen years. I’d pray and ask God these questions many times over. Like a typical human being, I wondered when I was going to get my answers or IF I was ever going to get any answers at all. A few years went by and there still were no answers to my questions. It was not until I was in my 20s that I finally received my answers to those questions I asked so many years ago. The answers that I received then in my 20s were more beneficial to me at that point and time than it would have ever been IF I had received the answers right there and then. Make sense??? You see, ALL in good timing. Psalms 31:15, “my TIMES (when things will happen) are in thy hand…”
My point is this. There is absolutely nothing wrong with asking questions of God. God is faithful and will IN TIME provide you with the answers needed for your benefit. The true test comes between the time you asked the question and the time during the waiting period for the answer to that question. YOUR response while waiting for a reply will OFTEN times be determined by how you react within the waiting period of the response yet to come. God is faithful, but He sees and knows exactly when you NEED the answer. And sometimes God will answer our “questions” in segments, at times straight away, but often times the answer comes in time (waiting is required).
The Word of God tells us that God’s ear is not shortened that it cannot hear.
We live in a fast paced world, we want everything right here and now, so the whole “waiting” period is kind of out of the picture (so to speak). Take a look at the children of Israel, for example. They were in bondage for 400 years! Can you imagine having to pray for deliverance from slavery for 400 years and still have the faith that God is hearing your prayers–that one day He will prove himself faithful and response to your questioning/requests. God heard their prayers and their questions as to “why”. But everything HAD to fall into place in order for God to allow His answer to become a reality for His children. Israel did not see the entire picture, all they saw was bondage right in front of their faces on a daily basis. God, however, saw everything and knew when the right time would be to respond to their question of “When will you deliver us oh Lord?”
Ok, so that is kind of a crude analogy but the principle is still there. Do you see it???? Ask all the questions you want of the Lord. I highly encourage it! I have asked my fair share of questions throughout the years. And often times the response to my questions have taken time but that time was for my benefit. Some times when we ask questions it is because we want to know why some tragic incident happened in our lives or in our family. There is nothing wrong with crying out to the Lord and asking “Why?!” But sometimes God withholds the answer from us because we need TIME to mellow out and to allow healing in our lives to take place. It’s like trying to accept the reality of something without thinking clearly. Sometimes we are so caught up in the emotions, maybe expressing deep anger as a result. God will often times deal with you in that anger or bitterness or whatever the case may be BEFORE He gives you a response to your question. God prepares us to receive his answers, but first we must ALLOW Him to prepare us. Sometimes in that preparation we have to learn to wait and deal with other things in our lives FIRST. Do you understanding what I’m saying here?????
God tells us in His Word that He will NEVER leave us nor forsake us. What so ever ye ASK in prayer believing ye shall receive. That verse does not just apply to possessions or blessings but also applies to your receiving answers to questions asked so many years ago. God is faithful! God has not forgotten you! Now we see through a glass darkly, BUT one day… There are things in my life that I still ask questions of on a daily basis. Do I want to know the answers, yes! Absolutely!!!! But I also know how far God has brought me, how He has been faithful to me, and the answers He has thus far provided me with up to this moment and time in my life. I cannot say that God does not “know” because He has proven otherwise. I do know in fact that God knows WHAT is best for me and WHEN it is best for me. Just like the parent that tells his/her child that they can’t go over to that friend’s house. The child may not understand why mom/dad said “no”, but they have their reasons (Those reasons could be that the friend is not a godly influence. It could also mean that that child needs to learn that responsibly comes first before play. A valid reason could be that it’s too late and the child needs a good night’s rest because they were up late the night before etc..etc…). That parent has their child’s best interest at heart…
God has your best interest at heart, BUT all in the right TIME for you, all in TIME. When you receive that answer, you will be able to look back between the time that you asked that specific question to the time you received the answer and see all that has transpired. You will see that it was worth the wait and that other things needed to transpire before you were given your answer.
Make sense????
To question is to learn about your life and learn about who God is in more than one aspect; because you are in that waiting period, you learn about aspects of God that you would have never known IF the answer had just been given you.
You See! There is no losing! There is only winning, but ALL in time my friend. Be patient and wait on the Lord. He will be faithful and in time you will know what you seek….
John 14:13, “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”
Psalms 27: 14, “…wait, I say, on the Lord.”
Eccl. 8:6 , “Because to EVERY purpose there IS TIME…”
1 Samuel 1:20 , “It came about in due time…”
