Happy almost-Friday to you! I hope you're doing well!

Yesterday we asked a tough question. :)

I'm simply going to draw from the previous stories we've studied to try to find some direction on whether or not it's acceptable to question God. The verses mentioned lead me to believe that doubt... and unbelief … may actually be different things afterall... and doubt may be the worse option which is not what I expected. There are 3 factors that need to be weighed and 3 differences that need to be noticed. Let me explain.

Unbelief is something to be explored and moved forward on.

Doubt goes backwards.

Faith is not an option given to us by God. We NEED faith to see God. We have to be willing to walk on the water. Which is precisely why it's good to examine what we say we believe. To remember that Jesus is the answer and all questions need to go straight to Him first.

May I take a brief moment for a rabbit trail? Thank you very much...

This year I've approached my questions, concerns, and thoughts very differently, and have learned to hear the voice of God in a much more clear way. Matthew 18 tells us that when we have a concern about something another person has done, we are first to go to that person. Then we go to another. Please don't get me wrong. In a way these are ENTIRELY different concepts. I'm not about confronting God and finding other people to join me! BUT the concept the Lord has taught me in dealing with others is that in quietly going to the person I'm questioning first, I can very often find out that they'll give clear answers and put all worries out of my mind. When I go to others, though they may have information for me to draw from, it often lends confusion when I finally take an issue to the source itself. Does that makes sense? Psalms states that when we seek hard after God, HE will give us the knowledge to “teach our teachers.” Let's be resolved to stay on our knees.

Here's a VERY important verse to finally tie this altogether.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. Proverbs 1:7

Going to the Lord on your knees with your questions is a great way to maintain perspective. He DOES want us to ask Him questions. He TELLS us to bring everything to Him. He's MORE than big enough to handle each and every question that we could ever ask. But do so with great respect. Do so with willingness to hear the answer, even if you don't like it. One of the things that I love about God is the way that I have so often truly witnessed Him work “ALL THINGS” together for good, even when the answers to prayer were crushing for me at the moment.

Finally, in Matthew 16... Jesus Himself challenged the disciples with not one, but two questions about whether or not they really knew who He was. It wasn't an ultimatum. It wasn't a threat. It was a challenge to step out and live and share what they knew. Peter however was unprepared for the answer he received at first. Do you have any questions for the Lord today? Go to a quiet place, get on your knees, give them to the Lord....... and leave them there. Trust Him with them. He may not trust you with the answer until you're willing to trust Him as Lord of circumstance, Lord of all, and Father of His precious child (that's you!)

For Discussion: Any other thoughts before we move forward tomorrow?