Unspoken Questions

There are unspoken questions resonating in the minds of many people. Questions mulled over in the mental dungeons infrequently visited. Mental gymnastics done over serious matters of faith. These questions remain tucked in the corners of the mind yet they never  are voiced. Not voiced because fear of judgment from the church. If people give voice to doubts and disappointments directed toward God there is little grace and compassion from fellow pilgrims.

The questions are real. They are haunting and not easily dismissed. They require serious thought. These unspoken questions lead down a difficult road, How many people are disappointed with God? Their prayers have gone unanswered. The healing has not come. The protection did not cover the loved one sufficiently. God's silence did not bring the desperately needed direction.

The unspoken questions are there. God are You really there? Why is God silent? Why is God hidden? Is God always fair? These questions haunt the mind. There are scores of people disappointed with God. In fact, the disappointments have stacked one on top of the other over the years. All this can lead to doubts, anger, and bitterness.

Where is God in the middle of the pain and the darkest of nights? Why doesn't God always speak clearly to those needing direction and seeking His will? Why do paths that once seemed so clear end up in confusion?

Two scriptures come to mind for comfort. Psalm 42:5 (NASB) 
⁵  Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him For the help of His presence. 

The word despair means to be without any hope. Sometimes people get so disappointed with God they no longer have an ounce of hope. A person without hope is a person with little reason to press on. Such people can give up on God, on other people, and on life itself. 

We are urged to put our hope in God. The word hope can be defined as waiting expectantly. Many have been waiting on God for a long time. He has not come through for them yet. For others who waited it is too late. The loved one died. The business shut down. The marriage ended in divorce. The child rebelled and strayed from the faith. There seems to be nothing to wait expectantly for God to do. 

We are still to praise Him even when we are disappointed. We are to thank Him and glorify Him. Why? When we have been disappointed so many times why should we thank Him, glorify Him and praise Him? 

The answer is simple. For the help of His presence. For His salvation and deliverance. And because of Lamentations 3:21-24 (NASB) 

²¹  This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope.
²²  The LORD'S lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail.
²³  They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.
²⁴  "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "Therefore I have hope in Him."

Why should we praise our Father when we've been disappointed by Him repeatedly? Why should we maintain hope in the middle of our unspoken questions? 

For three reasons. First, the Lord's loving kindnesses never cease. NEVER CEASE. His goodness. His devotion. His love never cease. Not ever. A second reason to praise and hope is that God's mercies never cease. His compassion is forever. And then finally, GREAT IS HIS FAITHFULNESS. Put another way, abounding is His trustworthiness and reliability. 

These things are new ever morning. Day after day. Month after month. Year after year. 

I am not suggesting there will not be disappointments. I am not even saying that at times the ways of God will not be so mysterious they will be beyond our comprehension. At times He will be silent in times we plead with Him to speak the most. At times it may seem God is absent even though He promises to always be present. Great is His faithfulness. 

Now to the unspoken questions. Is God really there, does He really exist? Just look at a sunrise or a sunset. Look out over the vast ocean or across mountain ranges. They scream out God is real. Is God hidden? At times. He hides Himself but that does not mean that He is not there. He just chooses not to reveal His presence to us all the time. Is God silent? Again, He is at times. At times He withholds His voice leaving us seeking and bewildered which way to go. In such cases it is wise to wait until He does choose to speak. I have said repeatedly the best place to hear Him speak is in His word. Th last unspoken question deals whether God is fair? God is just. That means He is right. He is Sovereign and He has the right and authority to rule as He sees fit. 

We do not get to choose the stuff we are forced to overcome. We do get to choose what we face but we do get to choose how we face it. We get to choose how we work our way through disappointments. 

God is still God even when we face our unspoken questions. He can handle them. His faithfulness will never change and therefore we will always have reason to hope.