SOME OCCASIONS GOD ASKED QUESTIONS

God asked Adam, “Where are you? Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree?”

God asked Eve, “What have you done?”

When Cain murdered Abel, God asked, “What have you done?”

God asked Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh? Is anything too hard for the LORD?”

GOD’S PURPOSE IN ASKING A QUESTION

The questions of God are laden with purpose…targeted…cutting…they reveal our heart.

They are not simple requests for information but divide between our soul and spirit and reveal the thoughts and intents of our heart. As Hebrews 4 tells us, we are naked before God. He knows all about us.

He understands us.

Yet we often do not know our own hearts. We have difficulty sorting out the depths of our motives so God comes with His questions and lays us open before Him. This “laying open” is not done to condemn us, but to strengthen us, restore us, convict us, and heal us.

ELIJAH, WHY ARE YOU HERE?

Elijah was a great prophet of God. He was courageous and powerful. His life exemplified one who walked in signs and wonders.

Elijah was also human. After a great spiritual victory, he ran into wilderness to hide and lick his wounds after Jezebel threatened him. We find him feeling quite sorry for himself (1 Kings 19) as he sat under a juniper tree.

As a human, Elijah was tired. His body was exhausted after great spiritual battle. His emotions were depleted.

God ministered to Elijah in his humanity. He sent an angel to touch him, to provide food and drink for him. God strengthened him, all the while knowing that Elijah would continue his escape into the wilderness until he eventually ended up in a cave.

YOU CAN’T HIDE FROM GOD AND HIS QUESTIONS

I don’t know if you’ve ever been in a literal cave, but I have on several occasions.

On one particular cave tour, a fellow tourist, a teenager nonetheless, thought it would be quite fun to unplug the underground lighting system. I found myself teetering on a set of metal steps, transitioning from one level of the cave to another, in complete and utter darkness. I promised God that if He would get me out of that cave, I would never be so foolish again.

However, my boys love caves and I have since relented of my vow and tredged the underground world again. I still don’t like it. Caves make me feel especially vulnerable, as if I could be cut off from humanity any second and left to die.

Elijah chooses to escape into a cave. It’s dark, secluded, quiet, hidden.

God comes to him calling him by name, just as He came to Adam and Eve. There is nowhere we can hide from His presence.

And God asked, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” Translated into current vernacular, “What the heck do you think you are doing, Elijah? Do you think you can hide from Me?”

Beautifully, God pursues this man He loves. He has fed him, touched him, and now he asks a question.

Of course, God knew what Elijah was doing. He was running. He was hiding. He was feeling sorry for himself.

GOD’S QUESTIONS ARE INVITATIONS TO US

God invites Elijah to speak. Relationship with God is more than just our listening to him. God invites us to share our hearts, to speak, to engage Him, the God of all creation.

So Elijah answered. “God, I hope you realize that I have been a really great servant of yours. I have been your point person. I have done what no one else would do and just in case you have not noticed, I am all you’ve got left and now the enemy is trying to kill me. It looks to me like You’re not doing a very good job taking care of me, God.” (loosely translated J)

God’s question was not simply about where Elijah was physically. It was about revealing Elijah’s false beliefs (i.e., God has abandoned me, etc.) It was about exposing Elijah’s woundedness and his weakness.

God then re-commissioned Elijah, gave him directions for the next phase of his life, reassured him that he was not alone, and sent him back into God’s service.

HAS GOD ASKED YOU A QUESTION LATELY?

So what’s the last question God has asked you?

What is it in your heart that God is trying to get to?

Is it past woundedness that He wants to heal?

Is it sin that needs confessing and forsaking?

Is it weakness that needs God’s grace and strength?

What is your answer to God? Will you agree with Him on the truth about your heart?

If you will, He will do what He did for Elijah. He will speak to you in ways that restore, heal, and give direction.

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On a personal note, my life has been quite busy the last few days because of the tornadoes which hit Alabama on April 27, 2011. It was a dark day while we watched wave after wave of tornadic activity plummet our state.

Almost all of North Alabama is without power. We are thankful here in Florence to still have our power and so my little nest has increased temporarily as my mother and daughter and son-in-law are here while their power is being restored. Authorities say it may be several more days before that happens. We personally did not have any damage, although several areas close to us were deeply affected. 

The devastation here is almost beyond description. The last information I heard stated that we had at least 66 tornadoes here in Alabama which hit in 16 counties. The damage is so wide-spread that almost everyone I know has been impacted in some way. Entire small cities were almost wiped out. Several larger cities have massive destruction.

Please pray for the state of Alabama. Recovery will be a long process. It is beautiful though to see masses of people mobilizing to help the hurting. The people of Alabama are a caring people. I am thankful to call Alabama home. 

"Above all else, guard your heart." We usually hear this with a sense of "Keep an eye on that heart of yours," in the way you’d warn a deputy watching over some dangerous outlaw, or a bad dog the neighbors let run. "Don’t let him out of your sight." Having so long believed our hearts are evil, we assume the warning is to keep us out of trouble. So we lock up our hearts and throw away the key and then try to get on with our living. But that isn’t the spirit of the command at all. It doesn’t say guard your heart because it’s criminal; it says guard your heart because it is the wellspring of your life, because it is a treasure, because everything else depends on it. How kind of God to give us this warning, like someone’s entrusting to a friend something precious to him, with the words: "Be careful with this-it means a lot to me." 

Above all else? Good grief-we don’t even do it once in a while. We might as well leave our life savings on the seat of the car with the windows rolled down-we’re that careless with our hearts. "If not for my careless heart," sang Roy Orbison, and it might be the anthem for our lives. Things would be different. I would be farther along. My faith would be much deeper. My relationships so much better. My life would be on the path God meant for me . . . if not for my careless heart. We live completely backward. "All else" is above our hearts. I’ll wager that caring for your heart isn’t even a category you think in. "Let’s see-I’ve got to get the kids to soccer, the car needs to be dropped off at the shop, and I need to take a couple of hours for my heart this week." It probably sounds unbiblical, even after all we’ve covered. 

Seriously now-what do you do on a daily basis to care for your heart? Okay, that wasn’t fair. How about weekly? Monthly? 

(Waking the Dead , 207-8) 

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The present result of living in a fallen world is often pain, discouragement, and difficulty. We know that God has come to us, offering redemption in our daily lives through Christ and setting in place the ultimate redemption of all when Christ returns.  Yet in the meantime, we often find ourselves hurt and misunderstood and having hurt others.

How can we care for others and our own hearts in the midst of pain and suffering?

Jesus gave keys to his disciples in John 14 as he prepared their hearts for the difficult days ahead.

“Don’t let your hearts be troubled.” You have a part in guarding your own heart from discouragement. Note that I didn’t say you could necessarily guard your heart from difficulty. Jesus was not offering an exemption from the difficult days which lay ahead of the disciples; he was offering an anchor for the storm.

Proverbs 4:23 tells us to guard our heart above all else because from it, all of our life flows.

This is not an easy true or false test. The disciples all failed the initial test of this truth Jesus shared. Yet they learned through their trials. They became more equipped to handle difficulty. They became wiser to the devices of Satan.

We can guard our hearts by following the instructions of Jesus in John 14.

1. Believe. “You believe in God, believe in Me.”  Faith in God and Jesus are necessary to enduring the trials of life.  It was simpler for the disciples to believe during the days of glory and miracles, but Jesus knew that their emotions, minds, and faith were about to be challenged beyond anything they had previously experienced.

2. Look for the bigger picture. Jesus reminded his followers that there was something beyond this realm and that his purposes included making that available for them to share with him. Their difficulties were very real and yet temporary.

3. Stay focused on helping others. “The works that I do, you will do also, and even greater works.” There is a life-giving flow which happens when we reach beyond ourselves.  

4. Know that you are not alone.  Jesus taught his followers that they would have a Helper, the Holy Spirit, who would be with them forever.

5. Access the peace that Jesus assured his disciples that he was leaving with them. There is a place of peace found in Jesus that transcends our earthly circumstances.  God’s peace is beyond reason and is available even when life is challenging.  The peace of God indicates our trust that this life is not all there is and that God is still on the throne even when we don’t have a clue what He is doing or is going to do.

I hope this list encourages you. It is not intended to be an easy bandage. I don’t pretend that I am able to consistently do all of the above, but it seems that if Jesus felt these guidelines would help his followers during their tough times, they can also help us.

You can do it! Guard your heart. Believe. Trust. Look for God’s bigger picture. Help others. Lean on the Holy Spirit who is always with you.

God has promised to walk with us through difficult days and is always at work in our lives, redeeming, restoring, and breathing new life into our hearts.  Keep on keeping on because God has an amazing purpose for your life. He has plans to give you future and hope. His plans are good and not evil. His plans include abundant life, both in this world and the world to come.

I believe in you and the God in you, who is able to do more than you can ask or think because of the power of Christ who lives in you.

Keep on keeping on! Christ is in you and he himself is our hope. You can do all things through him!

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