In our lives, we have questions. How long, O Lord? Why did this happen? When will you change things? How will you help us make ends meet? Any of these questions can be pleasing to the Lord. Any of them can dishonor him. The heart behind the question, the faith behind the question, these are the issues that make the questions right or wrong.

Why? How? When? All of us who know the Lord have questions for him. But are they OK? Is it right to question God?

Interestingly, the answer is not as simple as one might think. There is no clear yes or no. Sometimes in Scripture, people ask God questions and get the answer. Sometimes, questions earn judgment. The content of the question is not the primary issue. The issue is one of heart.

Consider two questions from Luke chapter 1. In this chapter, two people ask an angel rather comparable questions. Zechariah and Mary both have something they want to know. To the casual observer, it might even look like they are asking the same sort of thing. But Zechariah meets with displeasure and judgment while Mary has her question answered.

When the angel Gabriel tells Zechariah that he and his wife will soon have a son, the old priest cannot fathom how this might come to pass.

Luke 1:18-21 – 18 And Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” 19 And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. 20 And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.”

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