Courage Under StressSample

It’s Okay to Question God

If you’ve ever experienced trauma, you can relate to feelings of anxiety and abandonment. Questioning God in times of crisis does not necessarily indicate a person’s lack of faith. On the contrary, it can actually reflect a sense of hope that God cares and is present with us in our pain.

On the cross, Jesus experienced cruel ridicule and mockery. His accusers scoffed at his claim to be the Son of God with a smug certainty that God didn’t care enough to rescue such a blasphemer. In his humanity, even Jesus pleaded with his Father in hopes that he might escape his terrible suffering. If Jesus himself prayed for relief, we do not need to worry about questioning God in our times of stress and hardship. God wants us to pour out our deepest requests to him because they reveal the reality of our faith rather than its absence. In the book of Psalms, David repeatedly pleaded with God for release from suffering. That release didn’t always come, yet David was honored by being included in Jesus’ ancestry.

These examples—and others in Scripture—assured a young man named Sean that questioning and pleading with God does not diminish our Father’s love for us. Sean has multiple intellectual and physical difficulties that have required 420 hospitalizations in his short life. With each medical emergency, he has questioned God. Sean simply can’t understand why he has to go through these trials time and time again. However, through it all, Sean’s hope is in God, who controls the whole world and knows what is best for each of us. Sean’s Christlike attitude helps others understand they, too, can trust God with their troubles and seek his comfort.

God is always with us, even though it may not feel that way. When we are hanging on by our fingertips in the darkness, we can cling to his promises. Psalm 18:30 says, “God’s way is perfect. All the Lord’s promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to him for protection.” In our anxiety and stress, God never leaves us. Proverbs 1:33 says, “All who listen to [God] will live in peace, untroubled by fear of harm.” We might never find the answers to our questions this side of eternity, but the fact remains—God keeps his promises and never leaves us alone in our suffering.