Gideon

Okay to Question….God?

May 1, 2014 2Comments

Is it okay to question God, the almighty creator of the universe, the alpha and omega, the landlord of everything? I mean, how can we as mere mortals possibly understand God, who created the universe, knows how many hairs are on our heads, knows every thought inside our minds (scary), and so forth?

Well, we cannot understand him. He knows HIS ways are way above our ways. And that is precisely why we will have questions. So, in my humble opinion, it is more than okay to question God. If fact, the Bible is full of examples of people questioning God. Two of the most famous examples are Jesus and Moses. When Jesus was praying in the garden, he asked God to take this cup of suffering from him, but let God’s will be done. He knew it was coming, but he still asked. He questioned it. Moses, a mere mortal like us, questioned God a little further. He said who am I, that I should go to pharaoh. He also asked what was he going to say to the Israelites, when he went to Egypt. Then he asked God, what if they did not believe him. Therefore, there is definitely a Biblical precedent for questioning God.

However, my favorite example is a lesser known Bible hero named Gideon. I have written about Gideon briefly in a previous post. Gideon was beating wheat in a whine press because an invading army was plundering his land, when an angel appeared. The angel told him, “God is with you, mighty warrior”. To put this in complete perspective, Gideon is hiding his food from an invading army, and no relief is in sight. The angel just said, “God is with you”. Well, it sure did not look to Gideon like the Lord was with him. He asked what any rational, sane, human being would ask: “O my lord, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the LORD has abandoned us….”. God then told Gideon to deliver Israel from the invaders. Gideon said you gotta be kidding. The he asks for proof that God was with him. Gideon, albeit very reluctantly, eventually kicks the invading army out of Israel. The complete story is in Judges 6-8. Gideon’s story is both inspiring and entertaining. He may be the most “human” of all the Bible heroes.

In retrospect, it is completely okay and understandable to question God. Since HIS understanding is far greater than our own understanding, he realizes that we will have questions. Jesus, Moses, and especially Gideon questioned God, and he patiently tolerated it. Go ahead. Ask questions. It’s okay….really.

Uncategorized

Ever Considered Yourself a Screw-up?

February 19, 2014 2Comments

A few months ago, I was having idle chit-chat with a friend when he referred to himself as a “screw-up”. Actually, he referred to himself with a synonym for screw-up, but for the sake of keeping this post rated PG, I’ll just use the term “screw-up”. I was somewhat taken aback. At first, I thought he was joking, but as the conversation continued, I learned he was not joking. My friend had a law degree and a professional career. He was also dedicated and hard-working. I would hardly consider him a screw-up. I tried to change his mind, but he would not yield. So, I said to myself, God can still use you. In fact, the Bible is full of Godly examples of screw-ups doing important things.

The first major screw-up that comes to mind is Moses. Moses was raised as Egyptian royalty. He eventually learned about his Jewish heritage. He saw an Egyptian slave driver abusing a Jewish slave, and he killed him. He fled Egypt and lived the next 30 or so years as a fugitive in the mountains….until God called him to lead his people out of Egypt. So, God called an old, fugitive, murderer to lead his people out of Egypt. And Moses-the Screw-up becomes the most important person in the Old Testament.

The next screw-up is Gideon. Gideon is probably more famous because of the Gideon Bible (that he did not write) than his Old Testament exploits. God called Gideon a “mighty warrior”. Gideon was hiding from an invading force. He described himself to God this way: he said that he was the weakest member of the weakest clan. God told him to tear down an altar to false god, and Gideon did it at night, so no one would see him. He got caught, and his father had to keep people from killing him. Yet, God called Gideon-the-screw up to kick an invading force out of the promised land, which he did.

The New Testament has screw-ups too. Peter and Paul may be two of the most central figures of the New Testament, AND they could easily be described as screw-ups. When Jesus was arrested, Peter denied that he knew Jesus three times. Peter said that he did not know Jesus. He said that he did not even know him. That is pretty rough, considering he had just spent the last three years with him and had promised he would never leave him. Yet Jesus said, “You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church”. Paul despised the early church. His job was to stamp out what he considered a heretic movement. He severely persecuted the early Christians. Then he falls off a horse, meets Jesus, becomes the early church’s greatest ambassador, and writes two-thirds of the New Testament.

How’s that for proof that God can use screw-ups?

Okay to Question….God?

Ever Considered Yourself a Screw-up?

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