The Question Most People Want to Ask God
Have you ever played the game, “If you could ask God any question, what would it be?” As believers, we can ask God any question, of course, but implicit in the game is getting an answer to the question. “Who should I marry?” “Should I take that job?” “What university should I attend?” All these seem to make their way into the game at some point.
The challenge of the Christian life is that God answers some of our questions, but not others. Those He does not answer fall into the realm of faith. Robert Jeffress addresses these issues in the study from Bible Studies for Life: Honest to God: Real Questions People Ask.
In a recent LifeWay Research survey, Americans were asked to respond to this question: “Which of the following topics would you most like to ask God about?” Although 23 percent indicated “none of these” and another seven percent said “don’t know” most agreed with an answer expressing some kind of hardship.
If God is good, why is there suffering?
The question most people want to ask God is the same one considered by philosophers, theologians, and Christians through the ages: If God is good, why is there suffering?
This question goes beyond the realm of the theoretical when we see pictures from the cancer ward at a children’s hospital, civilian deaths from a civil war, or a young man after the untimely death of his new bride. Pain and suffering are real and seem to be completely at odds with the concept of a loving God.
Some atheists have gone so far as to speculate God cannot be both all-powerful and all good. If He were both, they insist, He would do something about evil. If He truly is good, He must not be all-powerful. If He is truly all-powerful, He must not be all good.
The problem with that position is it does not allow for a plan of God big enough for evil to play a part, but not an ultimate part. That is, evil is not eternal. At a certain time, good (or, more specifically, God) will triumph and reign supreme.
Many people will turn to the Old Testament Book of Job to take a peek behind the curtain. Readers through the centuries have found comfort there as they consider God’s dealing with Job.
God has experienced suffering, too.
Others are comforted in knowing that God Himself has suffered in the violent murder of His Son, Jesus Christ. At no point has God asked us to experience something He has not. The Father did not intervene as Jesus was offered up as a sacrifice for all of our sakes. As songwriter Michael Card eloquently wrote, “No one was there to wipe away the tears / That burned the holy eyes of God. / As he looked upon His one and only Son / Who’d never sinned or lied, yet was crucified.”
We may never get an answer to why God allows suffering before we enter eternity. Even if we do not, we can be assured of His unending love to His children. Because of the cross, we never need doubt whether God cares for us, even in the midst of pain or tragedy.
Yours for the Great Commission,
Ronnie W. Floyd
Senior Pastor, Cross Church
General Editor, Bible Studies for Life
Dr. Ronnie Floyd is the President & CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee.
Seeds of Burden and Hope were Planted
Seeds of burden and hope were planted last week in our Senior Pastors Prayer Gathering held in Southlake, Texas. God gathered 178 Senior Pastors from 27 different states in order to plant burden and hope in their hearts. What do I mean?
Seeds of Burden for Revival were Planted
Since this Senior Pastors gathering’s purpose was for praying for spiritual revival in the church and spiritual awakening in America, there was a level of longing that captured the hearts of the Pastors before they even came. Yet, after twenty-four hours together, hearing short but powerful challenges on principles of revival and awakening and being on our face before God, seeds of burden were planted.
These pastors came into this gathering expecting God to move in their life. Therefore, they came. Their hearts were fertile ground in which the Holy Spirit planted seeds of burden.
Revival and awakening always begin with a burden. Look at Nehemiah. It was a burden that arrested him in his tracks, called him back to his homeland, and led him to action to see his land awakened for God. It all started with a leader, then transferred into the people of God, and ultimately moved upon an entire country for God’s glory.
Nehemiah dealt with it. I deal with it. You will deal with it. Warfare will rage as you pursue God in your life. The enemies of God did their very best to discourage Nehemiah, but he stated clearly he would not come down off of the wall, doing God’s will, to answer their silly nonsensical concerns. What a leader! What a spiritual leader!
We need to become like Nehemiah, men of greatness, who understand God’s calling on our lives is far greater than the nonsensical concerns of many. If it distracts us from the will of God and word of God, we need to ignore it. We need to plant seeds of revival burden into the churches of America so they will move into action of becoming the people of God, in order to influence their country for God.
Seeds of Hope for Awakening were Planted
I have been in some settings through the years that were so dismal about the country’s conditions, I wanted to go home and never leave the house again. Last week, this was not so. Oh, let me be clear: We left Dallas burdened to see revival in the church, but we also left Dallas with hope that spiritual awakening was on its way in America.
When we pray, our faith is increased, believing God will revive His church and awaken the United States of America. For way over 100 years, believers like us have called upon the God of Heaven, pleading with Him for awakening to come into the land. Have all those prayers gone unheard? Absolutely not!
When we gathered, we gathered with the hope that one day, and prayerfully soon, all of those prayers will so move the Sovereign will of God, that He will send a mighty spiritual awakening to America! By no means did I come in discouraged and by no means did I leave discouraged. I am confident that one day God will do it, and I pray that I will be alive and our entire generation will be affected. May this be the Revival Generation!
Whether God uses Southern Baptists or some other evangelical people does not ultimately matter, as long as He ushers revival and awakening into the church and our nation. I had a friend who tweeted last week that he prayed God would raise up another Jonathan Edwards who could be entrusted with the leadership of the next awakening in our land. I agree wholeheartedly! Whether he be in his twenties or nineties does not matter to me; whether he wears a suit or jeans does not matter to me; or whether he likes traditional or contemporary music does not matter to me, I just want God to raise up His mighty work through His church that will awaken our nation spiritually.
Hope abounds in my heart that God will do it! Yes, I am believing God for it!
I am asking, seeking, and knocking relentlessly and persistently! Read the last of the Bible: Jesus wins! He is our hope!
Share the burden and the hope!
Everywhere you go, share the burden for revival and the hope of awakening. Our churches need it and America is hoping for it. Yes, I believe that. Politicians know it is broken and almost to a point that even they believe it cannot be fixed. This is why Pastors of local churches need to stand everywhere they go, imparting the burden for spiritual revival in the church, but concluding with the rising hope for spiritual awakening in America.
Yours for the Great Commission,
Ronnie W. Floyd
Dr. Ronnie Floyd is the President & CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee.