Why Ask Why?
Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could we not cast him out? [Matthew 17:19]
A few weeks ago, I was having a conversation with a Christian brother whose wife had died several months ago from ovarian cancer. Obviously, he was struggling with questions as to why this had occurred, but he said that despite all of this, he had never asked God "Why?" because in his mind, it was part of God's "big picture".
I thought his reasoning was strange in light of my relationship with God and knowing Him to be a loving and caring Father, desiring to give us wisdom in order to know His will. Instead of challenging my friend concerning this reasoning, I sought the Lord how I might understand what causes such strange way of thinking, which would, in turn, give me the wisdom to share the truth with him. The Lord led me to three passages of Scripture that answer this question: "Why don't people ask why?"
Fear of Reprimand
But they understood not that saying, and were afraid to ask him. [Mark 9:32]
Have you ever wondered why the disciples were afraid to ask Jesus a question? In Mark 9:19, the Lord had just reprimanded the disciples for not being able to cast a demon out of a little boy--something the Lord had empowered them to do. Jesus said, O faithless generation. How long shall I be with you? How long shall I suffer you? Bring him to me. In Matthew's account, the Lord called them a faithless and perverse generation (Matthew 17:17). You can perceive the frustration in the Lord's words, and no doubt He was disappointed with the disciples failure to affect this deliverance or healing.
Could this have been the reason they were afraid? I believe it was. Consequently, when Jesus spoke about His eventual arrest, crucifixion, and resurrection, they were afraid to ask Him about something they did not understand. However, this fear was unfounded because the Lord had never scolded anyone for asking Him a question in order to understand something He had taught. In fact, the Lord reprimanded the disciples for many things such as hardness of heart (Mark 8:17-21), unbelief (Matthew 17:17-20), and savoring the things of man above the things of God (Matthew 16:23), but He always answered their questions.
Many people have grown up in fear of God--not the reverential fear the Bible teaches, but a tormenting fear of punishment, judgment, and rebuke that is born out of a misunderstanding of the way God deals with us in the New Testament. Many people who don't really know God have conceived in their minds an image of God that presents Him as a harsh taskmaster, constantly pounding His fists, demanding us to serve Him, and firing lightning bolts at people who disobey His commands. If God were to appear in physical form to you today, what do you think He would do?
Unfortunately, many people think that God would slap us around and tell us how rotten we are, and how we never get things right. Our attitude could be similar to the widow woman in 1 Kings 17:18 who said to the prophet Elijah, What have I to do with you, O man of God? Have you come to me to call my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son? And then we would fall on our faces and pour out tears of repentance until He calmed down. In fact, God would do just the opposite. He would wrap His arms around you and tell you how much He loves you and wants to comfort you, and how proud He is of you. However, if God did this, many people would be shocked instead of relieved. This disturbing perception of God is described in Scripture, but many of you may not have noticed it.
As it is written Luke 1:26, the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin's name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her and said, Hail, you are highly favored; the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary. For you have found favor with God.
Have you ever wondered why Mary was troubled and wondered what kind of greeting Gabriel had made? Gabriel said, You are highly favored; the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women. This greeting doesn't sound like something to be troubled about--does it? Had Mary, like many of us, conceived in her mind the impression of God as being the tormentor I described before? I think so--and when Gabriel, the messenger of God, came and greeted her in a positive, loving way, she was troubled by what she heard. Do you think that if Gabriel came down and slapped her around, saying how unworthy she was, would she have thought for sure it was God? I'll let you decide. Therefore, when a person has a question concerning God's word, fear of reprimand prevents Him from seeking the answer.
Truthfully, God does not want us to fear Him in a way that hinders us from having relationship with Him. The Bible says, There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; because fear has torment. He who fears is not made perfect in love. [1 John 4:18]
Unfortunately, many people would rather view God as the authoritarian slave master, harshly rebuking any questions from His servants. Hence, the misunderstanding of what the apostle Paul wrote in Romans 9:20-21: No, but O man, who are you to reply against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why have you made me thus?
While this verse warns the thing created from questioning the purpose and word of the Creator, it does not prohibit the seeking of wisdom and understanding of His word. In fact, the Bible encourages us to seek wisdom: Happy is the man that finds wisdom, and the man that gets understanding. [Proverbs 3:13] God's word is designed to produce results as it is written, So shall my word be that goes forth out of my mouth. It shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. [Isaiah 55:11] Therefore, while the Lord does not want us to question His word, we should seek wisdom when we are not getting the intended results from the word. This is illustrated in the disciples' asking the Lord, Why could we not cast him out? [Matthew 17:19] They knew the results they should have obtained from the word, which was to cast out the demon, but when they didn't get the expected results, they asked a very appropriate question, of which the Lord generously answered (Matthew 17:20-21).
We can also use the example of my friend whose wife died from cancer. They prayed for God's healing power to be released, but yet they didn't get the results promised in the Bible, Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith shall save the sick; and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. [James 5:14-15] This passage clearly says that the prayer of faith SHALL save or heal the sick.
Because they did not see God's healing power manifest in her body, they would have been right to have sought God for a better understanding. The problem was that unfortunately, they did not actually expect God's power to be released. Their prayer was, in essence, asking God to heal her IF it were His will. That, my friends, is certainly not a prayer of faith as the Scripture teaches. Rather, their prayer was a prayer of unbelief.
The travesty is that most Christians do not expect to see the power of God released in their lives, which is why more aren't seeking God for answers why their prayers aren't being answered. They pray, "Oh, God, heal me of this disease... if it be Your will." The statement "if it be Your will" nullifies the prayer as it places the responsibility of healing on God alone when, again, this is not what the Scripture teaches. If we go to Mark's gospel account of the demon-possessed boy whom the disciples could not heal, we read that the father of the boy was expressing his doubts to the Lord, But if you can do anything, have compassion on us, and help us. Jesus said unto him, If you can believe, all things are possible to him that believes. [Mark 9:22-23]
Here, the Lord makes it very clear that we play a cooperative role in believing and then receiving what God has shown to be His will. This is what being a joint-heir is all about. God has done His part, which is Grace; and our part is Faith--to believe and receive; or doubt and do without.
God is Distant
Master, do you not care that we perish? [Mark 4: 38]
When my friend was explaining why he'd never asked God why his wife had died, he said that he knew that somehow her death was part of what many Christians call "The Big Picture". The Big Picture can be easily defined as such: God's overall plan and purpose for what occurs in the world. However, in a subtle way, many in the church have been led to believe the "Big Picture" has nothing to do with you personally--that God has placed His overall will above your personal welfare and needs. Thus, the mindset that is reflected in the disciples' disbelieving question, Master, do you not care that we perish?
I heard a very well known and respected preacher preach a similar message. Unfortunately, this preacher's energetic and dynamic presentation serves to hypnotize his audience, bathing in the emotionalism of his delivery while he feeds them with a perverted gospel that teaches of God being indifferent to His children in light of the "Big Picture."
"Do you think God cares about your little problems when He has souls to save?" the preacher shouted. "You better stop being so narrow-minded and know that God sees the big picture."
This type of theology is so far from the truth that it measures about the distance between Heaven and Hell. What you must understand is that the "Big Picture" or God's overall plan and purpose is already settled in Heaven and therefore, God isn't concerned about its fulfillment, but about who will be with Him when it is fulfilled. God is a personal God who desires personal and intimate relationship. He knows you intimately, and desires for you to know Him in the same way.
Jesus described the Father's intimate knowledge of us in this way, Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? And one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore, you are of more value than many sparrows. Matthew 10:29-31
In February 2005, I was invited to teach at a high school retreat in Florida. During the first night, the Lord began giving me words of knowledge concerning some infirmities affecting some of the kids. One word was that someone had hurt their foot. After announcing what the Lord had given me, no one responded. The next day, one of the adults told me that after the meeting, he and the kids were talking about what had happened, and one mentioned that he had hurt his toe and was in pain. When asked why he didn't come forward when I called it out, the young man replied, "Oh, God doesn't care about my hurt toe. He's got bigger things to worry about--you know, like cancer and other serious things."
This young man's statement unfortunately is a very clear reflection of what many Christians believe--that God is only concerned with the major issues: gay marriage, abortion, whether the Republicans retain control over the Congress, etc. and life-threatening diseases like cancer, AIDS, and the bird flu.
The truth is that God cares about everything going on in your life--and I mean everything. I had never met this young man before. He wasn't limping as to display any injury. No one had come to me before the meeting and told me about it. It was God who told me. Why? Because He loves this young man and He wanted to show Him (and the others) just how much He loves him. God was simply demonstrating what He desires for us: My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. [1 John 3:18]
Additionally, the Lord's revelation to me wasn't limited to physical infirmities as He showed me that one of the kids was going through a rough time with the divorce of his parents. The Lord, through me, was able to minister His love personally to this young man that touched him in a great way.
While many Christians view God as a distant judge, unapproachable and unconcerned with your personal struggles, the Bible paints a very different picture. The apostle Paul, while preaching to an intellectual audience in Athens, said this about how accessible God is: That they should seek the Lord if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he is not far from every one of us. [Acts 17:27]
If you were to only understand the totality of what the Bible teaches--that it is an account of God's pursuit of and desire to have intimate relationship with mankind. From walking in the garden in the cool of the day with Adam and sending His beloved Son to reveal Himself to His children to sending His divine and holy Spirit to live and abide within us, God fervently desires intimate fellowship with us. At the Last Supper, Jesus said, With desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. [Luke 22:15]
Another illustration of God's desire for intimacy with us was spoken by God through the prophet Jeremiah. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord. Thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then you shall call upon me and you shall go and pray unto me, and I will listen unto you. And you shall seek me and find me when you shall search for me with all your heart. [Jeremiah 29:11-13]
We Cannot Know God's Will
Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither has it entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love him. [1 Corinthians 2:9]
Have you ever heard anyone make these statements? "We can't know God's will" or "You never know what God's going to do." There is an escalating theology in some realms of the Christian church that paints a picture of God as a schizophrenic egomaniac, vehemently desiring to satisfy His unquenchable lust for praise and glory; while at the same time, being about as reliable as a lightning strike and as volatile as the North Carolina weather in November.
According to some theologians, the same God who shed His glory and put on flesh and dwelt among us, only to be rejected, spat upon, cursed, falsely accused, mocked, humiliated, beaten, tortured, and nailed to wooden cross in order that we could be reconciled with Him--to take upon Himself the penalty for our transgressions, is the same God who would slap you with terminal cancer, give your child birth defects, wreak havoc in your marriage, cause trouble on your job, and even give you a thorn in your flesh to keep you humble--all for His glory or just to break you in such a way, and bring you to your knees so that you are compelled to worship Him.
Fortunately, not all Christians view God as such, but when faced with the question of "Why?" many will resort to taking the easy way out by saying, "Well, we can't know God's will. It must be part of His master plan." For anyone who lives for Christ, there will be times of frustration and failure to understand why trials and tribulations occur, but know this one very thing and it will open the door to the fullness of understanding--God is not responsible for trials and tribulations and neither is He responsible for your failure to understand. God is Savior--not destroyer or tormenter. God is love--not fear.
However, when the destroyer invades your life and you find yourself searching for answers, know that God has provided the answer to every question you will have through His word. Additionally, He has given us power and authority to be more than conquerors through speaking God's word to the problem. Because of the Lord Jesus and the gift of the Holy Spirit, we can now know God's master plan and purpose as it is written, Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither has it entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love him. But God has revealed them unto us by his Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? Even so, the things of God no man knows, but the Spirit of God. Now we have not received the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. [1 Corinthians 2:9-12]
The apostle Paul quoted from Isaiah 64:4 to show that before Christ, man could not know the plan, purpose, and mysteries of the kingdom of God, but that now God has revealed them to us by His Spirit. The words of the Lord support this truth: Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. [Matthew 13:11]
These passages of Scripture prove that God desires us to know what was hidden from man for thousands of years--mysteries, and the deep things of God--and not just a superficial knowledge, as some would have you believe. In the Lord's own words spoken through the prophet Hosea, My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. For I desired mercy and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings. [Hosea 4:6; 6:4] God desires us to know Him, which will result in knowing His will just like getting to know another person. Fortunately, unlike people, there are no skeletons in God's closet and His word says that He would withhold no good thing from us (Psalm 84:11).
Knowing God's Will
And be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God. [Romans 12:3]
Therefore, how should you endeavor to know God's will? God prefers that you do this through His written word, studied prayerfully and understood with the heart, which will bring forth faith and a renewed way of thinking. This, inevitably will have a transforming effect on your mind, emotions, and desires that will bear fruit in your body as it is written, But he that received seed into the good ground is he that hears the word, and understands it, which also bears fruit, and brings forth some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty. [Matthew 13:23]
As the apostle Paul charged Timothy, Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. [2 Timothy 2:15] And But continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing of whom you have learned them; and that from a child you have known the holy scriptures, which are able to make you wise unto salvation through faith which is in Jesus Christ. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. [2 Timothy 3:14-16]
Finally, failure to understand God's will is taken into account in James as it is written:
If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men liberally, and does not scold; and it shall be given to him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he who wavers is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord. [James 1:5-7]
This plainly spells out the means by which we receive understanding is from God, and as I said before, God's preferred method is through the Scriptures. However, there is one requirement for getting understanding from God--and this is unwavering faith. If you receive understanding from the word, in order for it to become profitable, you must believe it. Then, when faith comes, the word can become rooted and grounded in your heart.
Truth is Always the Answer
Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could we not cast him out? And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief... [Matthew 17:19-20]
When the Lord spoke these memorable words, And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free [John 8:32] He was giving us the key to overcoming uncertainty and doubt, which are manifestations of a failure to understand. If doubt rears its ugly head, bringing you into the bondage of unbelief, then cut off its head with sword of the spirit. A revelation of the truth will release you from the prison of doubt and unbelief.
To learn how God deals with doubt, most Christians frequently point to the apostle Thomas and his response to hearing of the Lord's resurrection. However, I believe that Thomas didn't doubt the resurrection of Jesus, he adamantly refused to believe it. Thus, his words, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe. [John 20:25]
Because many Christians identify with "Doubting Thomas" they therefore expect and want the Lord to provide a physical manifestation in order for them to believe. This way of thinking has given rise to the recent "Evidence Movement" in the body of Christ where their faith is based entirely upon what they can prove to be true--through either scientific or archeological evidence. This line of reasoning, although profitable in some respects, to the extent that it supports what the Bible has revealed throughout history, but it violates what Scripture teaches--in that faith is the proof or evidence of what is known about God. In other words, faith always comes before manifestation. In order to see it, you must first believe it. These folks simply have it backwards according to the old adage, "seeing is believing."
Nevertheless, the greater teaching about doubt can be found in the case of John the Baptist. While Jesus met Thomas where he was, in his failure to believe without seeing, the Lord used His preferred method of confirming the truth for John, which is through the written word of God.
The story of John's doubt is peculiar in one way, but serves to show that despite what revelation God has given you, it is subject to being stolen by the devil if you allow it. Consequently, if a person is not rooted and grounded in knowledge of the word of God, he is vulnerable to doubt, deception, and perversion of the truth as it is written, Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. [2 Timothy 2:15]
We pick up the story in Matthew 11 where John, after being cast into prison because he had offended Herod, sent his disciples to Jesus. Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, and said unto him, Are you he that should come, or do we look for another? Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and show John again those things which you do hear and see. The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he whosoever is not offended in me. [Matthew 11:6]
Luke's account of the same event provides additional clarity to what occurred: When the men were come unto him, they said, John Baptist has sent us to you, saying, Are you he that should come? Or look we for another? And in that same hour he cured many of their infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits; and unto many that were blind he gave sight. Then Jesus said to them, Go your way, and tell John what things you have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached. And blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended in me. [Luke 7:20-23]
I doubt anyone would criticize the Lord Jesus for His response to John the Baptist, but most people would be offended with the Lord's reply under the same circumstances. For example, many people when they are suffering through sickness, persecution, or trouble in some way, expect us to give them sympathy instead of truth. I know this may rub some of you the wrong way, but for the most part, people who are suffering don't want what will help them; they just want you to wallow in their misery, cry with them, and for you to comfort them with words that tickle their ears.
Now I am not against being compassionate and providing comfort to those who are suffering. In fact, the Bible teaches us that we are able to comfort those in tribulation because of the comfort given to us by God in our time of trial. [2 Corinthians 1:4] However, because of my compassion and love for those who come to me in time of trouble, I give them what is most profitable to them, which is truth in love. The apostle Paul wrote that speaking the truth in love is a way of preventing deception and for growing up in the knowledge of the Lord (Ephesians 4:14-15).
The Bible teaches that the comfort God has given us is the power and authority to be more than conquerors over sin, sickness, lack, depression, addiction, and any mountain that doesn't amount to what the Lord Jesus endured during His ministry, which was persecution, rejection, mockery, etc. for the gospel's sake.
God did not tell Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, "Be warmed and filled, I am with you always," while they were in the fiery furnace. Although knowing He is present can be comforting, but His presence is not limited to being an onlooker. God did not just stand by and watch these men be burned to death, comforted by His presence. Instead, He loosed them from their bonds, protected and rescued them from it without even a hair on their head being touched by the fire. [Daniel 3:19-28] That truth, my friends, is comforting.
Consequently, many Christians believe that when you get cancer or any other sickness, God comforts you through joy, peace, and a positive outlook to deal with this affliction. And again, while this may be comforting, and God will meet you where your faith is, God did not give you His Spirit to help you cope and eke out a feeble existence in this life. He gave you His Spirit so that He could loose, protect, and deliver you from any fiery furnace the enemy puts you in. What is more comforting--to say, "God will be with you all the way while you suffer through doctors cutting you open and removing parts of organs, chemotherapy, loss of hair, appetite, energy, and body mass"? Or is it more comforting to say, "God desires that you be completely whole--in mind, body, and spirit--and has provided healing of this disease so you won't have to suffer"?
Again, I'll let you decide, but the Bible teaches, If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, and one of you says unto him, Depart in peace, be warmed and filled; notwithstanding you give them not those things which are needful to the body, what does it profit? [James 2:15-16] This principle does not apply only to feeding and clothing the poor, but it includes anything that is needful to the body, and I do not think anyone can argue that physical healing is not "needful."
This is the truest manifestation of love, in that we love someone enough to tell them the truth in spite of the danger of being rejected. This is what Jesus did with John. He could have gone to the prison Himself and put His arm around John and told him it was going to be okay, and that He understood what he was going through, and on and on. But that wouldn't have helped John at all. It may have provided relief of the pain of being in prison, but that would have only been a temporary fix.
It is the word of God that cures all ails and when we comfort someone at the expense of the truth, we are actually doing much greater damage than good. However, as I said before, many people would be offended by the truth--even when spoken in love as what happened when Paul corrected the Galatians: Am I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth? [Galatians 4:16]
What would have helped John the most--his doubt that Jesus was the Christ--was directing him back to the written word of God (Isaiah 61) as the Lord both said and demonstrated in the presence of John's disciples. And also notice that in Matthew's account, the Lord said, Go and show John again these things indicating that John had been previously informed and perhaps even witnessed Jesus perform these same miracles.
No one knows John's reaction to the Lord's reply, but we do know what eventually happened to John. The lesson the Lord is teaching here is not about the outcome, because God's word is true regardless of whether anyone believes it not; but about God's word--His preferred method for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. [2 Timothy 3:16]
Finally, God greatly desires that you know His will, plan, purpose, and destiny for you in Christ Jesus, and this knowledge comes through relationship with Him. He wants you to ask "Why?" when you don't understand. Not only does he want every person to be in relationship with Him, but to also come to knowledge of the truth that will make you free as it is written: For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. [1 Timothy 2:3-4] Amen.
