This is the Truth Network. Encouraging prayer. God offers an open invitation for his people to talk with him at any time about anything. On Encouraging Prayer, Dr. James Banks, author of the best-selling Prayers for Prodigals and many other books on prayer, provides weekly biblical insight to help you learn to love to pray.
And now, here's James.
Well, today we're going to talk about giving our doubts and questions to God and oh. This is helpful. I mean, because So often we feel like we can't go there. With God, but James? You really believe that if we do, God will meet us there and And this was a big part of your life, right, wasn't it?
Yeah, it really was. You know, I was one of those people who came to faith through my questions, through my doubts. I was raised in a Christian home, but had a lot of questions as a result. And later was a philosophy major. And it was amazing how God met me again and again.
Just in in being able to to pray out and and talk out my questions with them. And sometimes It was in a crisis moment where where things were going on that uh You know, I had no control over, and I just, you know, got into some of those moments where it's God, if you're there, then. You know, please do something. And um I think this is part of a healthy relationship because you see it. in Scripture again and again.
You know, let's just talk about some examples for a moment. Think about Jeremiah. Jeremiah has a number of questions for God in both the book by His Name and also Lamentations. Um Think about David. you know, some of the prayers that that he prays, including Psalm 22, Why Have You Forsaken Me?
which of course was also prayed by Jesus on the cross. Um I I love Gideon. He's one of my favorites. Where the angel of the Lord comes to him and says, Greetings, mighty warrior, the Lord is with you. And, you know, Gideon's like, what you talking to me?
You know? And he says, I'm You know, I'm my clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh. And the Lord says, I'll be with you. You know, I'll go with you. And of course my my ultimate favorite in all of these is Thomas.
Mm-hmm. You know, you you just have to look at what God did through Thomas. And for me, it takes my breath away, you know, if you take a closer look at it. Oh, and it's absolutely beautiful. you know, just running over in my mind, you know.
Some of my favorites are How Long, O Lord, right? Psalm 30. And in the Revelation too. Right, right, exactly. Yeah.
And so it's not that God is insulted. or or harmed or you know I mean that that's impossible. by our doubts or our questions. you know, I he's he's strong enough to handle them. And I think if we go there with that level of trust.
It's extremely helpful. Oh, I I couldn't agree more. And you know Personally, I love it when I'm doing Bible studies or even at the end of a sermon. When somebody starts asking questions, it it takes the conversation so much deeper and so much more intimate. Yeah.
Yeah, it really does. And that's the very thing that I think God does in our own hearts. when we see that he's able to meet us in that place of doubt, in that very place, You know, then we realize, oh, He really is there. He he really is with me. And I think that's part of what happened with Thomas.
Let's just go there a little bit because Of course, he wasn't with the twelfth. Um or the eleven, you know, where I don't think Matthias had been chosen yet, so when they're in the upper room, he wasn't with the other ten. And um what happens is that he says you know. Unless I see the nail marks in his hand, put my finger where the nails were. Put my hand in the side, I will not believe.
And John tells all about this in the 20th chapter. of his gospel and Then what happens is a week later, They're behind locked doors again. and suddenly Jesus is there, and of course Thomas is with him. And what Jesus says to him is interesting because it First of all, it shows you that Jesus is God, that he knew exactly what Thomas had said. Because he says Okay.
Put your finger here, see my hands, reach out your hand, put it into my side. You know. And so the very thing that Thomas was talking about, he's saying, But then he says this Stop. doubting and believe And I I that is where it really gets interesting. Because That's what the NIV says.
I think the MLT and some other translations get a little bit closer. Yeah. to the meaning. because the the meaning of the words that are used are Don't be faithless. any longer.
Believe So that's really the sense of the Greek. It's you know that the original manuscript is written in. Don't be faithless any longer. In other words, Come up a little closer, Thomas. You know.
Don't miss this. Jesus isn't rebuking him. He's just saying, come on. Come on. And I think that's a huge difference.
And the results were absolutely right, my Lord and my God. Yeah. Yeah. Whi which is phenomenal. when you think about it.
Because Thomas is the The first of the disciples to articulate that Jesus is one. with God the Father. Jesus had said, I am the Father of One, right? Yeah. And so that's a Trinitarian statement.
And of course, they already believed in the Father. They believed in the Holy Spirit. but for Thomas to look at a human being in front of him. and call him God. That's a radical thing.
for for a Jew to do. They just didn't do that, you know And so for Thomas to do this, actually the church doesn't officially land there until the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD, almost three centuries later.
So it's like Thomas Pole vaults over the heads Because of his questions, he pole vaults over the heads of the other disciples and lands in a place The church won't get get to for three centuries. It's incredible. Right, because he was honest with his feelings with God. Right. And so I guess this would be a good time for us to do that.
Lord, thank you so much for this episode, and I thank you that. Uh y you not only are not condemning of our big questions. You want our big questions. Lord, help us to come truly from our hearts with how we're feeling and trust you that you would grow our faith. that you would show us.
Lord, help us to go there. Help us to Um Really be encouraged in prayer as a result of this episode. I thank you so much for James and his study. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.
And Father, I want to add, help us not to use our questions or doubts as... as an excuse to not draw close to you because we're really wanting something else. Help us to want you most of all. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Amen. You can hear more from Pastor James by visiting his website, jamesbanks.org, or by visiting Peace Church in Durham, North Carolina. May God bless you and encourage you as you pray.
