Asked and Answered...(Change Within Series Part II)

August 27, 2009

Danielle Joyner Kelley

“Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:12-13.

Our life is a search for answers. Most times we seek answers when something is going wrong. When we feel we have been wronged in any way we want an explanation of how someone could do something so horrible.

One of the worst injustices we bring upon ourselves is the fact that we ask others to provide things that we are not willing to give ourselves. We demand answers from others, and run when others demand them from us. Put simply, we are famous for not practicing what we preach.

If a person hurts us, we isolate the moment and convince ourselves that the pain we are feeling is the only pain taking place on Earth, but it is not. Everyday people live their lives thinking of only themselves, and hurting God continually. Instead of coming down seeking revenge and demanding our accountability, God waits in His own timing. That does not mean the answers will not have to be provided by us, but it does mean that they are often delayed for the time being.

Moreover, there is a bigger problem at hand. When we are hurt, we ask God to tell us why. If we are confused and unsure of what to do in a painful situation, we ask Him to show us what we should do. Then, more often than not, we run around telling everyone that He has not answered us. For example, we do not know if He wants us to take a certain job, try to date and establish a relationship with a certain someone, stay in a current relationship, go to a different church, go back to school, buy a house, car, or something else, so we tell everyone else that we wish He would just tell us what to do. Meanwhile, the real truth gets buried in our complaining.

That real truth is that chances are, God has already told you why something has happened, or has told you what you need to do in a situation. First and foremost, He has given us the Bible, His word, which is living. Living means that every story, every situation, every sacrifice, every explanation, every meaning applies to you right here, right now, today. “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17.

Secondly, when we ask Him to let us know what we should do through our confusion and pain, the Holy Spirit living inside of us as Christians provides the answer. “'Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.'” Jeremiah 33:3. When we do not like the answer, we tell ourselves that it was not clear enough, that something else has happened that makes it seem that it could not be God sending that signal, and if it were God we would know what we should do.

The problem is not that He is not telling us what we should do, but the problem is that He is not telling us what we want to do. In our mindset as humans, when we seek answers to our questions, we already have a preconceived answer in mind. In essence, we have already answered the question we have, but we want someone else to answer it our way. When they do not, we simply cannot understand how they are so off the mark, and we confuse ourselves further.

God has already told you what you need to know, and will guide you in your current situation through His Spirit. However, you do not get to pick and choose what you like and what you do not. When you ask the question, and you want Him to give you understanding, you have to be willing to accept the answer and carry it out even if you do not like what He is saying to you.

Many of us want God to be clearer so we know exactly what to do. However, chances are that He has been clear, but you just did not like what He had to say. If you convince yourself that it is too hard to believe what He is saying and to walk it out in your own life, then remember that He has also told you to rely on Him for strength to carry out His commands.

How often do we hear someone say to their child, “I have told you and told you”?

Now imagine how God must feel.