Reasoning With God
It appears to me that the human reasoning process is not always helpful – such as reasoning with a mad dog, a spooky horse, a stalling car, a teenage daughter, a drunk person, etc., etc. All of these I have done, but is reasoning with God (or being mad at God) just another irrational thing to do?
There are some interesting cases in the Book where man did some “bare bones” reasoning with God for various reasons. Abraham's audacity as he faced God in Genesis 18:20-32 just knocks me out. Moses in Numbers 11:15 was so frustrated with the Israelites he said to God, ". . . kill me at once . . ." Job was so bold he found fault with God in his lengthy discourses with his bogus comforters. Then we come to Jesus, the essence of God in human flesh, praying & sweating blood in petition in the garden before his death. Luke 22:44 These intense examples of RWG at least show graphically that man can RWG & be answered by a seemingly untouchable, invisible, & IMMENSE being such as the ONLY Almighty.
Now some folks are likely to lose their faith AND become mad at God when Life hands them a raw deal. All folks ask God why when life gives them tragedy – lost love, lost child, death by surprise, etc. A queen of England, Anne in 1710 turned her back on the church & God because ALL of her 11 children died before adulthood. My mother had a handicap and questioned God – several times she said, “I curse the day I was born a woman.” I recently came down with a form of Leukemia which has induced some RWG. (But I think if all folks could take their problems and put them in a great big common stinking pile, most would return to the pile for their own, rather than someone else’s problems, if they had to choose.)
For “no extra charge” I should mention the Five Stages of Grief. People who are “Reasoning with God” are usually doing so due to a crisis situation or deep loss. Very often we go through 5 stages – 1) Denial 2) Anger 3) Bargaining 4) Depression 5) Acceptance. Sometimes the order may be different, or a stage or two missing, but the process is the same.
I believe that losing one’s faith and/or becoming mad at God is not good for us, with the Revealed character & nature of God being what it is. He loves & cares about us . . . He is SOVEREIGN and may allow difficult issues to come to each one of us to shape character. But in this Holy Spirit age, FAITH & PRAISE to God may be a better way to get answers than accusing God of evil intentions or ineptness. If we focus on step 5 above, we may avoid the heartburn & confusion of the previous 4. And of course, we do have a spiritual enemy that can & will conspire against us. Peter 5:8-10 Beware of him & get mad at him – NOT GOD. The mad at God syndrome just blocks answers, and the victory in Christ.
So how can a subject like this lead to a Christian appeal to faith in Christ? Well in fact, anyone who is “Reasoning with God” is on track with FAITH. I’ve heard preachers say that even if we are cursing God, that is a sign of hope – We’re at least on the right frequency. And I do believe God has a special place in His heart for those who are “bleeding” and “RWG”. . . . "He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when he hears it, he will answer you." Isaiah 30:19 “He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might He increaseth strength.” Isaiah 40:29. Choose Jesus, He is alive. Go ahead and reason with God – it can be a good thing. Answers will come according to God’s perfect timing. See also "Looking Forward" link 85.
Many other Titles: www.gospelnotes.org * * Fred J. Stone * *
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