Beyond BeliefSample

Imagine you're sitting in math class and you raise your hand to ask a question about fractions. Only when you ask it, the teacher gets furious. "How could you even ask me that?" the teacher yells at you.

Or imagine you got a part in the school play, and it's the very first rehearsal. You're working on a scene and go blank on what you're supposed to say next. "Line!" you call, and the director loses their cool. "How dare you ask for a line!" they shout. "What is the matter with you?"

Hopefully, this isn't your experience. Most good teachers and other authority figures are happy to answer your questions, especially if it's clear you're just trying to better understand the material. We know that good teachers will answer our questions if we ask. So why are we so scared to ask God about things we don't understand?

A lot of times, we don't really think of God as someone good and kind who wants to help us have a better understanding of life. Instead, we may think of God as a strict referee, who will throw a yellow flag at us any time we even think about messing up.

But the Bible says otherwise . . . Jesus told his disciples that just like good parents will give their kids what they ask for, God will give us what we're looking for. We can go to God with our questions and doubts, knowing we're not going to get in trouble.