Questions for God

One of the things that we as a congregation want to do this year is some evangelization in public. Most of our outreach as a congregation is along family and friend lines. We talk to the people in our lives whom God brings us. But we know that there are people struggling with questions about God who may not have anyone to speak to. So we want to be ready for some of these questions. 

During our Wednesday evening study - each first Wednesday of the month - we will look at questions and what God gives us as answers. We are collecting some of these questions, some of which you also may have struggled with or heard. Why does God allow so much suffering in the world? (Or How can God exist if there is suffering in the world? Or Why do I have to experience this suffering in my life since I am walking with God?)

How can an intelligent person believe in God and the Bible when it is clear that the Bible is an old book written long ago by people who didn’t really know what we know now? And it is full of mistakes and contradictions. How can anyone trust such a book? 

We (people in Europe) have been there and done that. We already know that it doesn’t work. Why stick to an old way of thinking about the world and people? 

Who made God? How old is the earth? So do you believe in dinosaurs? What do you think about politics? I have some questions for God because I am angry with him. 

Last night we were invited to a neighbor’s house for a New Year’s reception with some other of her friends and acquaintances. It was a nice time to meet some new people and get to know our neighbors better. We had several of these conversations throughout the evening. It is always clear that we are Americans, which brings up why we are here. That always leads to some conversations and questions. 

We are looking forward to having these conversations as a congregation in the Spring in Maastricht. We would love your prayers for these moments. We would also like to hear what your questions for God are (or questions you have heard or discussed). 

Taking every opportunity

For the last while we as a congregation in Maastricht have been working through the Psalms. What a blessing to see how God listens, hears, responds and helps. It was so good to see how many of the writers obviously have the same emotions as we all do and that God allows these emotions in the right place. When we trust Him with our thoughts and desires, then things work much better for all.

As we have finished the psalms we are looking at a new set of lessons where we touch on the fundamentals of our faith and how they help us with the difficult questions presented us in our society. Last Wednesday evening we looked at the foundational truths that make up the truly good news of the gospel. One of the things we hope to be able to (re)emphasize is how we can speak with those around us. And as we were looking at these fundamentals we have been praying for the conversations that God presents us with each day. 

As usual, I was not prepared for how wonderfully God surprises. He loves to do what we do not expect or even think of. So the days after our study I had several good opportunities to talk about this very good news. One conversation was with someone who specifically asked what we believe, as he was not religious and wondered what kind of faith this could be. Another was with believers about the struggles we have in life. That same evening a dinner with friends brought conversation about God’s faithfulness and how we struggle to trust, but how good it is. 

This is the reality of every day. We try to keep our eyes open for every opportunity that God presents us to talk about His wonderful love and grace. Sometimes we do not really recognize these moments as opportunities until we are in the middle of a conversation. It is not that we are manipulating conversations. We are simply speaking of the One we love and the good that He has brought us. 

We are thankful that God wants to and can use us in every situation to bring His grace into the world. We pray that we are allowing Him to work through our conversation in all of our daily activities - as parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters, shoppers in a store, drivers on the road or wherever else we may find ourselves. 

Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. Colossians 4:5-6

Why?

As a parent, I am quite familiar with this question. At a certain age, all children will ask this question. And that is good. It is a question we all should continue asking throughout our lives. I also recognize this question from may time as a teacher. A good student will ask this question regularly. A good teacher, or parent, will be willing to answer the question to the best of their ability. 

Of course it is important that such a question be genuine. How often might a child start on a series of “why’s” just to make sure that bedtime is slightly delayed? The question can be repeated after every answer or explanation. It becomes a time of game. Students can do the same thing. But then we are not really looking for an answer or to grow. We are simply playing a game. 

It isn’t uncommon for us to run into people who ask “why” as a game. But more than not we have people asking some really good questions and looking for answers. Most recently the question was asked: “Why did Jesus have to die just a cruel death?” This was asked by a woman I visit with every two weeks. Since she is Catholic and knows that I am not she usually asks something like - “Do you have John the Baptist as well?” My response is most often to point to what we can read in the Bible. “If it is in the Bible, we have it.”

So also with the question she asked most recently. God’s word shows us from the beginning how loving God is to have come up with a way for us to be saved - in spite of ourselves. That is often the other question I hear: “Why didn’t God just take our sin away if He is almighty?” As a matter of fact, that is one of the questions one of our young people has asked recently as he is considering giving his life to Jesus. 

We can see throughout the Bible that God loves us and created a way for us to be with Him throughout eternity. But did it have to be so gruesome? That was a good question. Was it possible for Jesus to have died for us, innocent as He was and therefore paying righteously for what we deserved and clearing the path for us to be with God, but in a less gruesome manner? The question made for some good conversation (and I would love talking with you about it if you would like - just send me an email). 

Other questions have popped up throughout our conversations in the last weeks. We talk about Jesus, His life and what it means for us several times a week. We have at least one study on Monday, three studies on Tuesday, two on Wednesday and at least one on Thursday and Friday. “Why do we have to suffer as we are trying to follow God?” “Why am I even here on earth?” 

It is exciting to be able to share how amazing God is. It is also a good challenge regularly. Along the way we are also able to confront some of our own “why” questions that come up in our conversations with others. We are so thankful for so many who have made it possible for us to be here sharing God’s love and grace. We are thankful for those who have been an example in the past as we questioned. And thank you so much for praying for us as we try to answer questions.