Is it wrong to question God? Five reasons why it’s not!

If you’re anything like me, you’ve had many moments in life when trusting God becomes quite difficult. I have been blessed by the fact that faith generally comes easily to me, but that doesn’t mean that it’s never faltered. It’s hard to put complete trust into someone you can’t even see, especially when that someone is mysterious by nature. Why wouldn’t we question God when there is so much about Him and how He works that we simply do not and cannot comprehend?

So what do you do when God gives you an answer you don’t understand or agree with? What happens when you find its easier to question than to trust? Is it wrong to question God, in all His grandeur and authority? Or do we have the right to ask questions? I believe there is nothing wrong with questioning God, but I also recognize that this is a difficult pill to swallow for some. So let’s talk about it.

3 Reasons Why We Think Questioning God Is Wrong

1. We tend to think that questioning automatically equates to undermining authority.

I think there is a misconception about God that causes people to think they have no right to question Him. That misconception stems from this question: If God is all-powerful and all-knowing, and if He is ultimately in control of all that happens in this world, then who are we to question Him? This question can lead many to believe that they simply have no right to question Him, as He is the greatest authority over us.

The problem is, many people don’t understand the difference between questioning authority and asking authority questions. You can ask questions without negating authority. I simply don’t believe God is a “because I said so” kind of God. He can handle our big questions and give us answers (whether we like the answers or not is another discussion) without feeling as though His authority has been questioned. But I feel that is hard for many people to comprehend, especially if you were raised to never ask questions and just do as you’re told.

Why doesn’t it undermine His authority?

The issue with the “just do as you’re told” mindset is that it ultimately negates our free will. Yes, God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and ultimately in control. But He is also a gentleman, and He does not force that control upon us. We have a God-given right to agree or disagree with the direction He points us. If we were expected to never ask questions, to never be able to decide for ourselves—in our own hearts—what we want to put our trust in, then the entire gospel would be a sham.

You see, God designed us with the intent of allowing us to freely decide if we want to honor His authority over our lives. He has it, no matter what we say or do. But He gives us the gift of choosing if we want to follow His direction or not. Asking questions is not undermining His authority, but instead the very opposite: it is the greatest way for us to understand why He has that authority, and more importantly, why it is so crucial that we choose to follow Him. Without asking questions or seeking to understand, we would never get to know Him. And if we don’t know Him, how can we follow His authority?

2. We often mistake questioning for a lack of faith in Him.

I have recently been reading Another Gospel by Alisa Childers (I highly recommend if you’re looking for new reading material!). In the book, Childers describes what biblical faith is:

“…biblical faith is trust—and that trust is based on good evidence.”

Another Gospel, page 50

The way I understand this statement is this: unwavering faith requires trust, and trust requires evidence. This is where many people go wrong when it comes to questioning God. Faith and trust are not exactly the same, but we tend to use those words interchangeably because they are so closely linked. The fact of the matter is, you can understand that you should have faith in God, but without any evidence of who He is, it’s difficult to really do that.

How does questioning increase trust?

When you ask questions, you receive answers one way or another. Those answers give you the evidence you need to build trust. Of course, there always has to be that element of blind faith with God, and He definitely tests our faith at times by not giving the answers right away. But I believe this testing comes after a level of trust has been established, because God knows us, and He knows that our human minds need evidence. After all, He is the one who created them!

There are so many instances in the Bible where we see this is true. Jesus tells Peter to walk on water after Peter had seen him perform other signs and wonders. God asks Abraham to sacrifice Isaac after giving Abraham and Sarah a son when they thought it wasn’t possible. Moses is told to lead the Israelites through the desert after God proved He would set them free. And the list goes on. In each of these situations, great faith was required. But that faith was built upon trust that came from asking questions and struggling with God’s will on a regular basis.

3. We believe it isn’t biblical to question God.

Habakkuk is one of my favorite books of the Bible. The first time I read it, I remember resonating with the constant “why, God?” that was repeated all throughout Habakkuk’s complaints to the Lord. As much faith as I have always had, I found myself asking that very same question so many times growing up. It brought me a sense of peace to see that even a prophet of the Lord questioned Him in the very same way. I felt the same when I read Job and Psalms. And then again, when I got to Matthew 26:36-45 and realized Jesus himself questioned God.

Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

Matthew 26:39, NIV

Even Jesus was unsure of what the Father was asking him to do. Even Jesus cried out for God to change what was going on. He felt the weight of what he was getting ready to do, and the human side of him knew that it would probably be more difficult than he could even imagine. So he called out to God, asking if it was possible for this task to be taken from him.

Questioning is in the Bible, so why do we think it’s wrong?

Why do we still believe it’s wrong to question God? To ask why? To be uncertain of what He is calling us to do, say, or be? Maybe it’s because we don’t know the Word of God as well as we should, or maybe we just can’t shake what we’ve been taught previously. Whatever the reason, I do know this: if the Bible teaches us anything about this topic, it’s that God can handle our big questions. He can handle our uncertainty, fear, distrust, ignorance—He can take anything we throw at Him.

In fact, I like to think that He actually appreciates our boldness to question Him, because it gives Him a chance to reveal Himself in new ways to us. If you need any proof of this, just look at Habakkuk. His questioning led to a revelation from the Lord that was recorded for all of history to read and learn from!

5 Reasons Why It is Not Wrong to Question God

To sum up everything above, this is why I believe it is absolutely not wrong to question God:

1. Questioning enables us to practice our free will.
2. If we don’t ask questions, we will never learn more about God and be able to draw nearer to Him.
3. God uses our big questions to establish trust.
4. Questioning God is biblical.
5. Our big questions give God an open door to reveal Himself to us.

What is the purpose of questioning God?

So we have established that it is, in fact, okay to question Him. But a crucial part of this questioning is the why behind it. What is your reason for asking questions? If you’ve read the Bible, then you’ve probably noticed that God pays a lot of attention to our hearts. He wants to know our intentions. Even if the act of questioning God isn’t wrong, our hearts can most certainly be in the wrong place when doing so.

Are you asking questions because you are seeking to understand Him more? Is it because you are trying to deepen your trust in Him? Do you want to find new revelation?

Or are you asking because you believe you know better than He does? Is your heart set on proving God wrong? Do you want question Him for the sake of overturning what He has already established as truth? Even if these are your intentions, God can still use it for good! Just look at Lee Strobel’s story for evidence of that!

But the fact remains: God ultimately looks at your heart. If you are asking questions in order to benefit yourself and your fleshly desires, then I would say that is wrong. But if your heart is to seek truth, then I believe the Lord will honor and bless you for that.

A person may think their own ways are right, but the Lord weighs the heart.

Proverbs 21:2, NIV

So here’s my last word on this: ask your questions. Challenge God to reveal something to you when you don’t understand. Remember that He is not obligated to reveal what you want, when you want, but know that He wants you to seek Him. So check your heart, make sure it’s in the right place, and then ask your questions!

What are your thoughts on questioning God? I’d love to hear what you think in the comments!