Bring God the Hard Questions

Bring God the Hard Questions

1 Kings 17:18 to 20 - "And he cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God." 1 Kings 17:20 KJV (excerpt)

The widow asks whether Elijah has come to bring her sin to remembrance and kill her son. These are words spoken in anguish. They should not be turned into the narrator's explanation for the child's death. The passage records her fear; it does not establish that her loss was punishment for a particular sin.

Elijah takes the child upstairs and cries to God with a difficult question of his own. The prophet who spoke confidently about provision is now asking why this calamity has come upon the household. His prayer contains distress and uncertainty.

There is room to learn from that honesty. You may have questions that sound untidy when spoken aloud. Why did this happen? How do I carry this? What do I do now? You can bring those questions to God without first arranging them into a lesson for someone else.

Elijah continues to address Him as his God. The relationship remains the place where he brings the question. You can do the same. Find a quiet moment and pray in your own words. If all you can manage is, Father, this hurts and I need help, begin there. You do not need to invent an answer in order to make an honest prayer.

What question have I been afraid to bring to God?

Have I accepted blame for suffering without a sound reason?

Prayer

Father, hear the questions I have struggled to say aloud. Free me from explanations that add shame to my grief. Keep me close as I seek understanding, comfort and help. In Jesus' name, amen.

Declaration for Today

The Lord is still my God when my prayer begins with a question. I can speak honestly in His presence, without dressing my pain in words I do not mean. I bring Him what troubles me and remain willing to listen. My unanswered questions have a place in my prayer.