On Questions

In Kathryn Greene-McCreight's discussion of "Our Address to God" she points out several instances in scripture where people question God. In the case of Elijah we find that he requests God to take away the burden of his life and God responds by turning the questions back on Elijah. The dialogue ensues and ends with a command to Elijah--"Go!"

As Greene-McCreight points out, God often answers questions with questions in return as in the case of Job.  What is important to note is that our questions to God, our complaints and accusations, often tell us more about ourselves than they do about God.  It is even true that our questions about God's relationship to us in our suffering often get turned back on us.  Like the disciples in the boat during the wild storm on the sea we ask: "Do you not care that we are perishing?" And in this our relationship to God is revealed; we want to know how God is going to be good for us, rescue us, or please us.

In our faith journey and in the wilderness of Lent we often learn that our identity is in our willingness to love God in spite of what is set before us.  In my walk as a pastor, I have encountered many people who are afraid to question God, be angry, or raw with God. I try to encourage them that this is part of a maturing faith and that God can handle it and will respond. It may not be what you, we want to hear; but it will be what we need to hear.  And, if we have trust, it is spoken by a God who calls us to be His children, His beloved disciples and apostles.

What questions do we have burning down deep in our soul?  What questions are we afraid to speak aloud?  How has God answered us in our moments of darkness or struggle?

A prayer from Walter Brueggemann:

We come to your presence haunted by an old question:

The question is posed by your presence,

for we would not ask it otherwise.

The question is an old one,

asked by our mothers and fathers forever.

Haunted because we do not know...and we must know.

So now yet again, like all our predecessors,

We ask again,

Is there a balm...in Gilead or anywhere?

Is there medicine for what ails us?

Is there healthcare with you, so absent everywhere else?

Is there a drug to deal with our infection?

Is there a heavy dose for our pathology?

We ask, linger for your answer, but do not know.

We ask, then rush to lesser remedies, to quack physicians,

to secret recipes,

all the while thinking

to heal ourselves.

But then back to you, still needing your answer.

We suspect a 'yes' from you,

We ponder the way you healed old slaveries,

the way you sent Jesus

among the disabled,

the way your spirit has surged to heal.

We crave a "yes" from you and wait.

We wait...midst our disabilities of fear and anxiety;

We wait...aware of our pathologies of hate and rage and greed;

We wait...knowing too well our complicity in violence

we need not see...

We cut below that...

We wait in weariness, in doubt, in loneliness.

And we pray: say the word and we will be healed;

say the word and our bodies will move to joy;

say the word and our body politic will function again;

say the word that you have fleshed in Jesus;

say the word...we will wait for your healing "yes."

And while we wait, we will "yes" you with our trusting obedience.

Amen.