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IS IT WRONG TO QUESTION GOD WHEN LIFE IMPLODES?
When one’s life implodes due to tragedy or unexpected loss, it’s normal to wonder why. To think about what could have been, if different choices had been made?
And that wondering often turns to questions for God, because God knew this was going to happen, and didn’t prevent it. That’s a hard place to find yourself. Especially if you’ve been taught that to question the Lord is sinful.
Why don’t we check with the Bible before we go too far down that path? It’s full of examples of people who had questions. Some got answered and others didn’t.
What Does The Bible Say About Questioning God?
Is it wrong to question God? Some people in the Bible, like Zecharaiah, got in trouble for their questions, and others, like Mary, got an answer.
I believe it all comes down to the heart. If you question God’s ways, seeking understanding and encouragement, He’s much more likely to show you the answer than if you have other purposes.
I mean, the Pharisees had tons of questions. They had already made up their minds that Jesus wasn’t the answer. They were trying to trick or trap Him, and He just questioned them in return. That usually proved their motives were sketchy and not genuine.
But when God shared His plans with Abraham, Abraham had a bunch of questions. He likely wanted to know if Lot would be okay, but didn’t want to say that directly. He didn’t get in trouble for asking, and God made sure Lot was rescued.
James 1:5-6
If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
This verse says straight up, “ask God.” But it also says to have faith. A reminder of Hebrews 11:6, which tells us that to please God, we must believe God exists and rewards those who honestly seek Him… God says He will reward us for seeking Him.
Isaiah 55:8-9
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
We may not understand the answers to our questions because we don’t think in the same way that God does. There’s nothing wrong with questioning God from a place of humility. Not demanding, but hopeful.
“If we believe that God is wise, merciful, and just, then we also have to recognize that His thoughts are above our thoughts. Therefore, we have to accept that our type of logic does not apply to the actions of God.”
Why, What if, If Only, Session 5
Psalm 22:1-5
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me,
so far from my cries of anguish?
My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
by night, but I find no rest.Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;
you are the one Israel praises.
In you our ancestors put their trust;
they trusted and you delivered them.
To you they cried out and were saved;
in you they trusted and were not put to shame.
David is very blunt here. He’s in crisis and wants to know if his trust in God is still justified. But then he leans into the faith he’s proven over and over, and he declares God’s character. That he knows God is trustworthy, even when his world has imploded.
If we can honestly use this prayer as a pattern when we’re crying out to God, then we’ll find Him a compassionate listener.
“If I believe that God exists, then I have to believe in His character, and if I believe in His attributes, then I know I can trust in His Love. God does not force a specific outcome just because we think we deserve it or because we want to be spared the pain of loss.”
Why, What if, If Only, Session 2
Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to Him,
and He will make your paths straight.
Are trust and questions mutually exclusive? NO. I take my questions to sources I trust, far more often than I would to sources I don’t trust. How about you?
Since we know the Lord God is trustworthy, we can trust Him with our questions, so we don’t have to lean on our own understanding. We have to be willing to follow what He says, even when we don’t get the why of it all.
Matthew 7:7
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
God would not tell us to ask if questions automatically lead to sin. I am one who knocks frequently because I want to understand a lot of things that don’t make sense to me.
Is It Wrong to Ask God Why?
With these verses in mind, I think we can safely say that bringing our questions to God is a good thing- when we do it with an open heart.
God knows what we’re going through and what our questions are even before we start the conversation. God may or may not explain everything we wish to know.
Eventually, we’ll need to turn our questions to a different topic, such as “What Now?” and “How do I move forward?” not as complaints but as curiosity.
If you want answers and comfort from God’s Word, check out “Why, What if, If Only?” today. A six-week study on the questions people ask after a tragedy or life-changing event.
And to read more about what the Bible says about grief, we’ve got you covered.
Is Questioning God a Sin
If we approach with curiosity and trust, it’s not a sin to question God. God allows us to ask questions freely,
God created us with curiosity, and God realizes that we want to be able to make sense of lots of things. The Bible tells us of many people whose questions came from a place of seeking understanding.
Remember, God will answer who and what He chooses to answer, and there isn’t a formula that obligates an all-powerful God to give us what we want.
That doesn’t mean we need to stuff our questions, but we do need to accept that God will give us the answers we need, and maybe even some we want, but God never promised us all of the answers.
Asking God Questions From a Place of Humility
We are not on the same level as God, and He doesn’t have to answer all things.
But confusion is not His thing. This is why He gave us the Holy Spirit to live inside us. By cultivating a deep relationship with Him, we can gain an understanding of many hard things.
John 14:16 And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—
Several translations of the Bible use the word counselor in place of advocate. Either way, the Holy Spirit advises us, and productive questions are a part of healthy communication.
So if we approach humbly, without doubting His character, He hears us. And sometimes, that’s all we need. To be heard. We don’t always need an answer or a solution.
Is it Bad to Question God When Your Life Implodes?
No. God is clear that questions are acceptable and even welcomed.
We just have to remember that God is God and we are not. We cannot demand the answers we want. And we cannot manipulate Him into answering because we follow a particular formula when we seek the heart of God about something.
But we don’t have to be afraid to inquire. Especially when your life implodes and your world is upside down. You serve God, who has compassion and empathy.
Jesus identifies with the question, “Why?” On the cross, he cries out, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” Jesus identifies with our humanity. He felt the gravity of humanity’s physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual pain. Suffered physical pain. Was abandoned by his closest friends. He was humiliated. If God the Son, can say to God the Father, “Why have you abandoned me?” Perhaps it’s okay for us to express our true questions and emotions to God.
The role of a grief caregiver is to accompany people through the most challenging times of their lives, with the goal of helping them understand their suffering in the context of God’s redemptive story. Our grief training and support programs can equip you and your team to be effective grief caregivers.