Go Ask God

I remember a story about a wonderful saint in our church who has gone on to be with Jesus. Everyone in the church called her "Grandma Rose." One day, someone asked her a question. She paused to think upon the question, then she said, "Go ask God!" What wisdom Grandma Rose possessed! Too many of us would come up with some kind of answer, even if it were the WRONG answer. Grandma Rose was wise enough to admit that even she didn't have all the answers, and when she didn't know the answer, she knew Who would have the answer!

Moses had a lot of questions for God. In Ex. 3:13 he was asking God what he should tell the Israelites that His name was. In the next verse, God told him to tell them that "I AM has sent me to you."

When God told Moses that he was going to be God's spokesman to people, Moses came back with these reasons of why he couldn't possibly be the servant to speak to the Israelites. In other words, he was questioning God's wisdom in choosing him. - How many times have we made excuses for not doing what God was clearly telling us to do?

Once Moses spoke to Pharaoh and told him to let the people go, the workload of the Israelites drastically increased. Moses approaches God in Ex. 5:22-23 asking Him why He had brought this trouble upon the people. - I can picture Moses whining in this particular question. How many times do we go whining to God? In spite of this, as you read through the life of Moses, you can see that God used him mightily to fulfill His desire for the Israelites. God can even use us in spite of our own whining!

In Ex. 15:24, the people are grumbling to Moses about the bitter waters at Marah. Moses cries out to God. God told him to throw wood in the water (wood representing Christ), making the bitter waters sweet.

In Ex. 32:9-10 God calls the Israelites a stiff-necked people, and He is ready to destroy them. Moses asks God another question, seeking God's favor for the people. He reminds God of His promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Because of this, God relented and did not destroy the people. Maybe YOUR intercession on behalf of some people could cause God to change His mind on what He is going to allow into their lives.

In Ex. 33:16, Moses says, "What else will distinguish me and your people from all other people on the face of the earth?" (NIV) God answers him by telling him that He will go with them. He also tells Moses that He is pleased with him and knows him by name. - Let me remind you that God knows you by name. Even on those days when you feel utter despair creeping in, He still knows you by name, and His presence goes with you, just as His presence went with the Israelites.

In spite of the many questions that Moses had for God, God didn't give up on Moses. In fact, they had an awesome and intimate relationship. When Moses died in Deut. 34:5-6, God was the one to bury him. In verse 10 of that same chapter, we see that there was never another prophet in Israel whom the Lord knew face to face. Sometimes I think we fear going to God and asking Him any of our questions. God is a loving, gracious, and compassionate God. We don't need to fear asking Him questions. It doesn't mean that we will get the answer for every question we have, but we just might get some answers that give us very clear insight.

Is II Sam. 5:19, we find David asking God if he should go and attack the Philistines. - How often do we think to ask Father God if we should go do "this or that?" Too many times, we just make our plans and ask God to bless them, without waiting to see if that is even His plan for us.

In II Sam. 12:16, we find David pleading for the life of the child who was conceived in his adultery with Bathsheba. I can imagine him asking God many questions during the time that he was pleading and fasting on behalf of the child. In spite of not receiving the answer that he so diligently sought, we find that David cleaned up, then went to the house of the Lord and worshiped. - Many times we may not receive the answers that we want. We need to remember that God's ways are higher than our ways, and that His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. (Is. 55:8) Even if the answer isn't what we many have desired, we need to remember that God always has our best interest at heart.

I have seen the above happen in my own life when I miscarried my first child. Although after eight years, I still have times when I am so saddened by the loss, and feel the emptiness, I can now say that I wouldn't trade that experience for anything in this world. I have learned too much about my God through it. I have come to intimately know Him as my Comforter and my Shield. I have seen Him as the Healer of Broken Hearts. I have seen Him take my hard heart and soften it to be responsive to the pain and despair that others feel.

I have always thought of John the Baptist as a bold man, full of spiritual strength, but we find in Mt. 11:2-3 that he sent his disciples to ask if Jesus was the one who was to come or if they should expect someone else. Even this mighty man of God had doubts. In those doubts, he questioned the Lord.

The disciples even had a lot of questions. In Mt. 18:1 they asked Jesus who was the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. In verse 21, Peter asks the Lord how many times they should forgive someone. After hearing Jesus say that it's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for the rich to enter into the kingdom of heaven, the disciples ask him, "Who then can be saved?" Mt. 19:25 (NIV) In Mt. 24, they ask Jesus about the signs of the end times. When out on a boat, in a frightful storm, they ask Jesus, "Don't you care if we drown?" Mk 4:38 (NIV)

In II Cor. 12:7-10 we find where Paul had been given a thorn in the flesh. He pleaded with God three times to take it away. I would imagine that he had questions of his own for God when asking for it to be removed. When God answered him by telling Paul that His grace was sufficient, Paul saw that he could delight in weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, in difficulties because when Paul was weak, then his Christ made him strong. May we find that in our own weaknesses, our loving Christ can give us a strength to endure to the end.

One last example is in Mt. 27:46 when our precious Savior asked of His heavenly Father, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?" (NIV) Even our Lord experienced a depth of loneliness that we will never have to face. He was actually separated from the loving presence of His Father. Because of that separation, we find in Rom. 8:38-39 these comforting words: "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angel nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (NIV) We will NEVER face the intense despair that our Christ felt while on that cross.

In those times when you have questions, go ask God. For years I was afraid to question God on anything because I heard an erroneous teaching about ever questioning God. I have learned in the last several years that God will often answer my questions. Maybe it's not the answer that I was looking for, but His answer always brings clarity and/or peace of mind to me. I have learned to go boldly to His throne because I have a high priest who is able to sympathize with me in my weakness and in my questions because He even had a question of His own when He was bearing the weight of my sin. Heb. 4:14-16.