Worship—Questions and Answers

​Recently I found myself crying out to the Lord with a list of questions. What is happening? What is going on? What am I to be doing?

These questions have literally taken me to my knees. On any given day I can find myself overwhelmed by what is happening in my own life, the lives of others and the world.
Generally, we ask questions in order to elicit information, but questions can also raise doubt, fear, and cause problems that require a resolution.
While contemplating the above questions, I realized I was concentrating and focusing on the questions, rather than the answers. I was not fixing my eyes on God’s truth, but the circumstances swirling around me.
God’s truth is found in His Word, our Bibles. His Word holds the key that opens the answers to our life questions. I believe that with my whole heart. Why? Because I have seen God’s Word transform lives, heal deep wounds, and change lives forever.
The Bible contains 66 books, written by forty different men, over a period of 1,600 years, in three different languages, in many different countries, by men of every walk of life, from herdsmen, fishermen, politicians, and even kings. Do not let anyone tell you God’s Word is not relative for today. That is a lie and not true! God’s Word reveals man’s heart and anticipates every need we might have. For 19 centuries it has stood the test of time. Science, philosophy, ridicule, brutality, and burning have tried to destroy it, or stamp it out, but none has ever succeeded.
Jesus said:
“Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my Word shall not pass away” (Matt. 14:35).
“My teaching is not mine, but His who sent me (my Father). If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority. The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of Him who sent him is true, and in Him there is no falsehood” (John 7:16-18).
“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16).
Man does not like to think about sin and its destructive power in his heart and life. He doesn’t like to think about the holiness of God, judgment or death, whether physical or spiritual. We want to dismiss these things from our thoughts as much as possible. Think a moment about it: sinful man would not write a book that condemns him. We would rather escape, not be interrupted, and break free from control or confinement! God’s Word is indestructible. Whatever man writes, man can destroy. The Bible is the one book no one has been able to destroy.
Why? Because it has been given to us by God. Its enemies and destroyers have been from the beginning of time. Yet it is still here, proving itself true through the test of time, eyewitness accounts, and millions of life-changing testimonies. More copies of the Bible have been printed than any other book ever printed.
God’s Word reveals God to me, and, like a mirror, it reveals ourselves to us. It keeps our heart from sin and is the spiritual food our souls long for. The Bible is the heart and mind of God and the more you read it, the more you will have His heart and mind and the answers to your questions.
During World War II, Corrie Ten Boom and her sister Betsy were placed in a concentration camp. While being processed into the camp, Betsy tore some pages from her Bible and hid them. In God’s sovereignty the pages were not confiscated by the Nazi soldiers. Those pages from God’s Word were read every night as the women gathered on Betsy’s bed. Those few pages from God’s Word sustained them and gave hope and light in a very dark place. Corrie later wrote, “I’ve experienced His presence in the deepest, darkest hell that men can create. I have tested the promises of the Bible, and believe me, you can count on them. I know that Jesus Christ can live in you, in me, through His Holy Spirit. You can talk with Him; you can talk with Him out loud or in your heart when you are alone, as I was alone in solitary confinement. The joy is that He hears each word.”
Some quotes to ponder:
Ronald Reagan – “Within the covers of the Bible are the answers for all the problems men face.”
Billy Graham - “If you are ignorant of God’s Word, you will always be ignorant of God’s will.”
Charles Spurgeon – “A Bible that’s falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn’t.”
Dwight L. Moody – “The Bible will keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from the Bible.”
David Jeremiah – “Delighting in God’s Word leads us to delight in God, and delighting in God drives away fear.”
(Unknown author) – “The Bible is meant to be bread for daily use, not cake for special occasions.”
I love this quote: “Fill your mind with God’s Word and you will have no room for Satan’s lies.” (Author unknown)
Questions are important, but do we have ears to hear and a heart to change?
R.C. Sproul put it this way: “The devil is delighted when we spend time and energy defending the Bible, as long as we do not get around to actually reading it and letting it transform our lives.”
• What questions should we then be asking ourselves?
• Are we focusing on God and allowing Him to speak to us?
• Are we seeking to understand what God is communicating through His Word?
• Are we allowing God to remind us of His faithfulness?
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, as it is written, ‘The righteous shall live by faith.’ (Romans 1:16-17).”
First open your heart, then open your Bible, for it is the power of God unto salvation. God’s Word does give us the answers for life and living.
Prayer:
“Father God, forgive us for taking for granted your living Word to us. Forgive us for asking the questions but not seeking the answers in your Word. Your Word brings truth, hope, light, forgiveness, power, unconditional love, grace and mercy! Thank You, thank You, Lord, for this amazing gift. Amen.”