Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Go Ahead And Ask

Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Put your finger here and see my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!”

-- John 20:27

Poor Thomas. He does get a bad rap. All these years later and he’s still known as “doubting Thomas.” We don’t remember that he later preached the gospel fearlessly, traveling even as far as India. And we forget that Thomas died a martyr’s death as he continued to tell others about Jesus.

We remember his doubts even as we attempt to deny our own. It’s like questioning God about anything is somehow just wrong. We’re afraid to test our faith that way. We’re afraid of what we might hear. We tread carefully lest we rock the foundation we’ve come to depend on.

Why do we think God can’t take the tough questions? Do we think He’ll disown us if we dare to ask “Why?”. We can look again to the Bible for our answers. Thomas said he wouldn’t believe Jesus was alive “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side.” Jesus offered to let Thomas do just that. Pastor Meghan pointed out that Thomas never did. His words at seeing Jesus were, “My Lord and my God!” But he never needed to feel the scars.

Pastor Meghan also noted that Jesus never chastised Thomas for wanting proof that Jesus lived. He embraced Thomas’ questions and doubts, offering Himself as proof. So why do we think God would reject us if we questioned Him?

Asking questions -- especially the tough ones -- actually illustrates belief. You don’t question what you deny. You simply deny it. Questions reveal a hunger to know God on a much deeper level, Pastor Meghan pointed out. God wants us to know Him. Really know Him. So He welcomes our questions and, yes, our doubts.

So go ahead and ask God what you really want to know. Just remember to listen to what He has to say.