Posted on October 29, 2023 Posted By: HCCCategories: journey
Heartland Community Church
THE JOURNEY
How To Answer Your God Questions
By Brooke Hodnefield
Growing up and moving around all over the country time and time again, I continued to whisper a question on repeat – to myself, to my parents, and, namely, to a God I was seeking, whether I recognized it or not. Why am I here (insert whatever location we had moved to) and not somewhere else (namely, someplace that was war-torn, poverty-stricken, oppressed, persecuted, racially divided, etc.)? I couldn’t reconcile then, and sometimes still can’t reconcile now; why I find myself in the life I do. Why must some places and some people suffer more so than others? Do you ever wonder this? My heart aches to understand the tension I feel and the weight and pain that others carry. That weight can feel heavier or different than mine.
But what I love about our good and gracious God is that he begs us to turn to him with these weighty and lofty questions. He has broad shoulders, and he can take it. As Paul says in Romans 12:2, ‘Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.’ Through our own search for understanding, we are being transformed! Will every question we have be met with a clear answer? No. But we will have greater clarity of who we are and who God is as a result. And what we know is that he is a good God.
As I consider my own question around the tension I feel between the gap between my own suffering and the magnitude of others, I’m met with a God-sized response…He is showing me instead how my own wandering and suffering can meet others in their own wandering and suffering. No one can speak to your journey and your life better than you, but you must be willing to take the questions you’ve been wrestling with and vulnerably offer them up. Others can see transformation in and through you, which points back to him. It does not need to be perfectly understood or worked out, as God will continue to reveal more of himself as he reveals more clarity to the questions you seek.
As Dan shared, the questions may not end, but may our confidence in God go up. May this be true for each one of us as we seek him. May we cast our doubts, questions, and curiosities on him as we adventure and journey onward, pushing back the curtain as we seek to shed light on the mystery of God.
If you’ve ever questioned whether Jesus was tempted, this is one of the clearest accounts. Not just once, but three times does the devil try to catch him off guard or sway him from his allegiance to God. Not only does he say ‘no’ each time, but he has a rapid-fire response to every challenge. Through Jesus’s retort to every temptation, we see a reflection of God’s strength, steadfastness, and power. Jesus is demonstrating (and declaring) his deep belief that God will say and do what he says. He is unwavering and unmoving. And that is something that each one of us gets to stand behind as a child of God. What do Jesus’s responses say about God?
Whether this is your first time engaging with God’s word or your 1,500th, it is never wasted time. Do you understand today as you did when you first believed? Each one of us is on a journey, learning and growing as we continue to return to God and his word time and time again. As Timothy shares, ‘All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness…’ What you glean today may be different than what God is revealing to you the next time you read the very same passage. God’s word is active, moving as the Holy Spirit helps you to interpret what you are reading. The word righteousness simply means ‘right relationship.’ As we turn to the Bible we are seeking right relationship and abiding with God. What verse or passage of the Bible seems to be sticking with you these days? Why do you think that is?
What does it look like to live a life grounded in peace despite the chaos and uncertainty of our lives and this world? John suggests that we are to ‘remain in Him, and his words remain in us…’ (my paraphrase). When our lives feel unsettled, we often turn to places, things, or people to bring comfort or even distraction. Each day, when we engage with momentary troubles or lack of clarity, we can turn to that which is momentary or that which is everlasting. God invites us to remain grounded in his truth, who he says we are, and what he has called us to be. As you enter this new day, re-commit to seek God as you bump up against whatever the day brings. Declare your desire to remain in him wholeheartedly today!
I use the word ‘delight’ on the regular. There is something about the word that is winsome and full of joy. The word ‘delight’ in this Psalm speaks to ‘delighting in the law of the Lord.’ Many aspects of God would cause you or me to delight, but his law is not what comes to mind. Why should we enjoy what the Lord calls us to do? Because he has gone before, and he sees around the corners that we cannot. No one in our life seeks the best for us than Jesus. If this is true, then we can trust that the law (his words and his desires for us) is best for us, bringing the fullness and abundance of life. In verse 3, the Psalmist declares, ‘That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither-whatever they do prospers.’ This doesn’t mean we will have a life free of hardship, but it does mean that he will be our strong foundation and companion each step of the way, weathering the storms as they come. We will never be alone, but we can always delight in his presence.
As I age, I bump up against situations I’ve not yet encountered. Maybe our influence grows as time goes on, or our interactions and relationships with people become increasingly more complex, but I often find myself seeking direction. How should I approach this situation? What is the best way to handle that which is set before me? James reminds us that we have full access to God and can simply ask him for his wisdom. But once we’ve done this, how do we know what to do next? The Holy Spirit’s nudges often follow the ask for wisdom. While it can be challenging to distinguish our voice from that of the spirit, if we are seeking God and inviting his wisdom and power to direct our steps, we can be confident that the spirit is acting as our guide. In what situation do you need to seek God’s wisdom alongside the spirit’s guidance?
{extra journey resources}
CLICK HERE to visit The Bible Project site and explore their super simple, super informative Bible videos (and other resources). You can also download The Bible Project App HERE.
CLICK HERE to get the Read Scripture App, from our friends at The Bible Project.
CLICK HERE for more on how to use the observe-reflect-apply approach to getting the most out of your Bible reading.
The Bible App Get the free YouVersion Bible for your phone, tablet, or computer. Experience the Bible anywhere, with options to highlight, save notes, and share what you are reading with others.
The Bible App For Kids YouVersion partnered with OneHope to develop the Bible App for Kids, designing it specifically to engage children with Bible stories on an age-appropriate level. The Bible App for Kids is a free app for Android, Apple, and Kindle devices, available in over 60 languages.
Bible Gateway Provides advanced Bible searching capabilities, which allow readers to find passages in scripture based on keywords, phrases, or scripture reference.
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