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Does God's silence mean he no longer cares? Author Philip Yancey talks about some of life's most difficult questions.
Philip Yancey grew up with pain. Fatherless since he was a baby (his dad died when he was an infant), Philip spent his childhood and teen years in a church that he describes as unloving and racist.
When he became editor of Campus Life in his mid-20s, Philip had a lot of questions and doubts about his faith, and many of his articles reflected it. Those articles also showed great sensitivity and concern for people in pain.
But Philip did more than just write about the difficult side of faith. He searched for answers that would direct doubters back to the love of God. He also began writing books. While editor of Campus Life, he began research for his first major book, Where Is God When It Hurts? (Zondervan). When Philip left Campus Life to write books full-time, he continued to write about the tougher side of faith—yet always with a sympathetic heart and with an eye toward a God who remains loving and caring in spite of life's difficulties.
Philip's book Reaching for the Invisible God (Zondervan) is another honest and sensitive look at faith and doubt. We talked to Philip about the book, asking him to help us better understand what it means to live for God even when times are tough.
What are the main reasons we have doubts about God?
I think we often struggle with those big questions. Why is there evil and suffering in the world? Why would God condemn sincere Muslims, Hindus and believers of other non-Christian religions? There are also questions about hypocrisy. Why don't Christians always act like Christians?
Frankly, I think these questions sometimes mask more personal questions that come out of our own difficult experiences. Think of a guy who prays like crazy for something really important, but he gets no answer. This guy is going to have serious questions about his faith.
It seems our doubts and questions come sometimes because God doesn't act the way we expect him to.
Just think about these lines from an old hymn: "I come to the Garden alone when the dew is still on the roses. And he walks with me, and he talks with me, and he tells me I am his own." Well, that doesn't happen for me. God's not walking with me and talking with me in the way that song implies. I'm not spending my days strolling with God in a beautiful rose garden! The same is true of many of today's praise songs, which are like love songs to Jesus. But that kind of intimacy often just isn't there.
How do we gain a more realistic view of God?
We shouldn't over-emphasize the "feeling" side of faith. We often talk a lot about feelings and experiences that just aren't that common. Now don't get me wrong. When you first come to Christ, you may experience a special intimacy with God. This is a very precious time for the new Christian. But it's dangerous to think this feeling of closeness will always be there.
In my book, Disappointment with God, I talk about the fact that the children of Israel had cried out for 400 years while living as slaves in Egypt. Here's a nation, God's chosen people, crying out, crying out, crying out: "We're slaves, for goodness' sake. Don't you care about us?" And nothing happens. Generation after generation was born, lived and died. All of them had heard stories about the power of God, but they never saw it. And then finally God acted. He broke the silence and we read all about the 10 plagues, the rolling back of the Red Sea, and all the miracles God performed while the Israelites wandered around in the wilderness. We hear a lot of Bible lessons based on the miracles in Exodus, but seldom hear about those 400 years when God seemed silent.
In the Bible, God sometimes responds in real direct, miraculous ways, and sometimes he does not. I don't know why God works this way. It's puzzling. But I think it's important to understand that we're not telling the whole story if we're only telling one side.
How do we handle those times, though, when the evidence in our lives seems to scream that even if God is around, he's mean and cruel?
Look at Job. He lost just about everything. God seemed silent for a very long time. His wife came to him and said something like this: "Just look at what you're going through! With a friend like God, who needs enemies! If there is a God, he must hate you! Curse him and die!" Now, looking around at the evidence, Job could've easily come to the same conclusion his wife had come to. He could have decided God was cruel, sadistic and didn't like him. But ultimately, Job chose to believe that what he knew about God remained true no matter what. He chose to believe God was trustworthy.
But Job still struggled. He had a lot of questions and doubts. He also had a lot of anger—and he wasn't afraid to express it!
Job certainly let God know how he was feeling. We talk about the patience of Job. It was more like the arrogance of Job! But he still didn't give up on God and God didn't give up on him. In fact, God said Job was a righteous man.
It's important to realize God isn't surprised or upset by any question you ask him. He isn't surprised or upset by any doubts you have. And he's not put off if we get angry at him, like Job did. If God isn't afraid to hear painful questions, if he's not afraid of our doubts, then we certainly shouldn't be afraid to let him hear them. And we shouldn't be afraid to let others voice their questions, their struggles and their doubts. In fact, we should try to make youth groups a safe place for doubters. We should provide "doubt companions" for those who are willing to admit they're struggling and have questions about faith and God.
What do you mean by "doubt companions"?
People who don't punish you for being honest about what's really going on in your life. They don't try to solve every problem. They don't try to make you think exactly like they think. A doubt companion is a person who is sympathetic, not judgmental, and is also not lost in his or her own doubts. Look at it like this. We have these wild rivers out here in Colorado where I live. Let's say you've fallen into this river and you're being slapped around in rapids and slammed against rock after rock. You need a companion to help you get out of the river. But you don't want your companion to be someone who's also caught in the rapids. You need a companion who's standing on the bank, holding a line you can grab when you pass by.
A doubt companion knows what it's like to have doubts and struggles, but is now standing on pretty solid ground. It could be your youth pastor or a leader of a Christian club like Campus Life, Young Life or Fellowship of Christian Athletes. It just needs to be someone who's empathetic, yet is standing on the bank.
Life would be so much easier if we could somehow "doubt-proof" our faith, wouldn't it?
It may seem that way. But I can't help but think about one of the first stories I ever wrote for Campus Life magazine. It was about a 17-year-old girl from Maryland who once had hopes of competing in the Olympics. But that was before a diving accident left her paralyzed. During my interview with her, she told me, "Philip, you don't realize how incredibly humiliating this is. I can't go to the bathroom by myself. I can't even cry by myself. Somebody has to wipe my eyes with Kleenex. I can't get dressed. I can't face the rest of my life like this!"
Today, many years later, people everywhere know about Joni Erickson Tada. She's helped and inspired millions by her books, talks and artwork. Some time ago, I saw her again and she said, "Philip, I would have to say what happened when I dived into Chesapeake Bay and broke my neck was the greatest thing that ever happened to me. God used that experience to accomplish so much. The day I once wanted erased from my life was the day that paved the way to so much good."
Incredible example. And while most of us won't experience what Joni went through, we'll still face difficult times. What is the most important truth we should cling to when life gets hard?
I'd like to begin with a question: Is God a good God and worthy of our trust? To me that's the foundational question. If he's not, then hang it up. If God is good and worthy of our trust, then hang on to him—even when the evidence seems stacked to the contrary.
Consider this illustration. Let's say your experience with a particular friend has shown you that she's dependable, responsible, caring and trustworthy. Now this very same friend agrees to meet you at Starbucks. She said she'd be there by 10:30. But at 10:40, she's still not there. At 10:50, she's still not there. When 11:00 rolls around, she still hasn't walked through the door. You don't automatically think, What an irresponsible, uncaring jerk. Of course not. You know your friend, you trust her. Sure, you're irritated and feel like you're wasting your time. But most likely, there's a good reason she's late. It could be a flat tire, an accident, a family emergency. The fact that she's not there does not mean she's irresponsible, uncaring or insensitive.
That's the way it is with God. Again, think about Job. The evidence would indicate that God was irresponsible, uncaring, unloving. But Job knew God's character and he knew something didn't add up. In spite of the way things looked, Job chose to trust God.
In your book you say, "I learned to trust God with my doubts by getting to know Jesus." Talk about the role Jesus plays in helping you deal with your doubts.
In a section of the book you're pointing out, I talk about this big magnifying glass I use to read the very tiny print in The Oxford English Dictionary. The print is so small there's no way you could read it without a magnifying glass. I've learned a lot about magnifying glasses by looking up words in my dictionary. I've learned that what appears in the center of the glass is very sharp and clear. But when you look away from this "focal center" the print gets fuzzy. Now I like to think of my faith in Jesus as that "focal center." The fuzzy parts of the magnified image represent my doubts and unanswered questions. When I move my eyes from those doubts and look at Jesus, life becomes clearer, more focused.
When I look at Jesus, I see someone who struggled and experienced a lot of pain. When I'm looking at Jesus, I see someone who understands everything I'm going through. When I look at Jesus, I see someone who loves me more than I could ever comprehend. As long as I keep my eyes focused on him, I don't have to be afraid of my doubts. I can believe God will see me through them.
by: Chris Lutes
Philip Yancey grew up with pain. Fatherless since he was a baby (his dad died when he was an infant), Philip spent his childhood and teen years in a church that he describes as unloving and racist.
When he became editor of Campus Life in his mid-20s, Philip had a lot of questions and doubts about his faith, and many of his articles reflected it. Those articles also showed great sensitivity and concern for people in pain.
But Philip did more than just write about the difficult side of faith. He searched for answers that would direct doubters back to the love of God. He also began writing books. While editor of Campus Life, he began research for his first major book, Where Is God When It Hurts? (Zondervan). When Philip left Campus Life to write books full-time, he continued to write about the tougher side of faith—yet always with a sympathetic heart and with an eye toward a God who remains loving and caring in spite of life's difficulties.
Philip's book Reaching for the Invisible God (Zondervan) is another honest and sensitive look at faith and doubt. We talked to Philip about the book, asking him to help us better understand what it means to live for God even when times are tough.
What are the main reasons we have doubts about God?
I think we often struggle with those big questions. Why is there evil and suffering in the world? Why would God condemn sincere Muslims, Hindus and believers of other non-Christian religions? There are also questions about hypocrisy. Why don't Christians always act like Christians?
Frankly, I think these questions sometimes mask more personal questions that come out of our own difficult experiences. Think of a guy who prays like crazy for something really important, but he gets no answer. This guy is going to have serious questions about his faith.
It seems our doubts and questions come sometimes because God doesn't act the way we expect him to.
Just think about these lines from an old hymn: "I come to the Garden alone when the dew is still on the roses. And he walks with me, and he talks with me, and he tells me I am his own." Well, that doesn't happen for me. God's not walking with me and talking with me in the way that song implies. I'm not spending my days strolling with God in a beautiful rose garden! The same is true of many of today's praise songs, which are like love songs to Jesus. But that kind of intimacy often just isn't there.
How do we gain a more realistic view of God?
We shouldn't over-emphasize the "feeling" side of faith. We often talk a lot about feelings and experiences that just aren't that common. Now don't get me wrong. When you first come to Christ, you may experience a special intimacy with God. This is a very precious time for the new Christian. But it's dangerous to think this feeling of closeness will always be there.
In my book, Disappointment with God, I talk about the fact that the children of Israel had cried out for 400 years while living as slaves in Egypt. Here's a nation, God's chosen people, crying out, crying out, crying out: "We're slaves, for goodness' sake. Don't you care about us?" And nothing happens. Generation after generation was born, lived and died. All of them had heard stories about the power of God, but they never saw it. And then finally God acted. He broke the silence and we read all about the 10 plagues, the rolling back of the Red Sea, and all the miracles God performed while the Israelites wandered around in the wilderness. We hear a lot of Bible lessons based on the miracles in Exodus, but seldom hear about those 400 years when God seemed silent.
In the Bible, God sometimes responds in real direct, miraculous ways, and sometimes he does not. I don't know why God works this way. It's puzzling. But I think it's important to understand that we're not telling the whole story if we're only telling one side.
How do we handle those times, though, when the evidence in our lives seems to scream that even if God is around, he's mean and cruel?
Look at Job. He lost just about everything. God seemed silent for a very long time. His wife came to him and said something like this: "Just look at what you're going through! With a friend like God, who needs enemies! If there is a God, he must hate you! Curse him and die!" Now, looking around at the evidence, Job could've easily come to the same conclusion his wife had come to. He could have decided God was cruel, sadistic and didn't like him. But ultimately, Job chose to believe that what he knew about God remained true no matter what. He chose to believe God was trustworthy.
But Job still struggled. He had a lot of questions and doubts. He also had a lot of anger—and he wasn't afraid to express it!
Job certainly let God know how he was feeling. We talk about the patience of Job. It was more like the arrogance of Job! But he still didn't give up on God and God didn't give up on him. In fact, God said Job was a righteous man.
It's important to realize God isn't surprised or upset by any question you ask him. He isn't surprised or upset by any doubts you have. And he's not put off if we get angry at him, like Job did. If God isn't afraid to hear painful questions, if he's not afraid of our doubts, then we certainly shouldn't be afraid to let him hear them. And we shouldn't be afraid to let others voice their questions, their struggles and their doubts. In fact, we should try to make youth groups a safe place for doubters. We should provide "doubt companions" for those who are willing to admit they're struggling and have questions about faith and God.
What do you mean by "doubt companions"?
People who don't punish you for being honest about what's really going on in your life. They don't try to solve every problem. They don't try to make you think exactly like they think. A doubt companion is a person who is sympathetic, not judgmental, and is also not lost in his or her own doubts. Look at it like this. We have these wild rivers out here in Colorado where I live. Let's say you've fallen into this river and you're being slapped around in rapids and slammed against rock after rock. You need a companion to help you get out of the river. But you don't want your companion to be someone who's also caught in the rapids. You need a companion who's standing on the bank, holding a line you can grab when you pass by.
A doubt companion knows what it's like to have doubts and struggles, but is now standing on pretty solid ground. It could be your youth pastor or a leader of a Christian club like Campus Life, Young Life or Fellowship of Christian Athletes. It just needs to be someone who's empathetic, yet is standing on the bank.
Life would be so much easier if we could somehow "doubt-proof" our faith, wouldn't it?
It may seem that way. But I can't help but think about one of the first stories I ever wrote for Campus Life magazine. It was about a 17-year-old girl from Maryland who once had hopes of competing in the Olympics. But that was before a diving accident left her paralyzed. During my interview with her, she told me, "Philip, you don't realize how incredibly humiliating this is. I can't go to the bathroom by myself. I can't even cry by myself. Somebody has to wipe my eyes with Kleenex. I can't get dressed. I can't face the rest of my life like this!"
Today, many years later, people everywhere know about Joni Erickson Tada. She's helped and inspired millions by her books, talks and artwork. Some time ago, I saw her again and she said, "Philip, I would have to say what happened when I dived into Chesapeake Bay and broke my neck was the greatest thing that ever happened to me. God used that experience to accomplish so much. The day I once wanted erased from my life was the day that paved the way to so much good."
Incredible example. And while most of us won't experience what Joni went through, we'll still face difficult times. What is the most important truth we should cling to when life gets hard?
I'd like to begin with a question: Is God a good God and worthy of our trust? To me that's the foundational question. If he's not, then hang it up. If God is good and worthy of our trust, then hang on to him—even when the evidence seems stacked to the contrary.
Consider this illustration. Let's say your experience with a particular friend has shown you that she's dependable, responsible, caring and trustworthy. Now this very same friend agrees to meet you at Starbucks. She said she'd be there by 10:30. But at 10:40, she's still not there. At 10:50, she's still not there. When 11:00 rolls around, she still hasn't walked through the door. You don't automatically think, What an irresponsible, uncaring jerk. Of course not. You know your friend, you trust her. Sure, you're irritated and feel like you're wasting your time. But most likely, there's a good reason she's late. It could be a flat tire, an accident, a family emergency. The fact that she's not there does not mean she's irresponsible, uncaring or insensitive.
That's the way it is with God. Again, think about Job. The evidence would indicate that God was irresponsible, uncaring, unloving. But Job knew God's character and he knew something didn't add up. In spite of the way things looked, Job chose to trust God.
In your book you say, "I learned to trust God with my doubts by getting to know Jesus." Talk about the role Jesus plays in helping you deal with your doubts.
In a section of the book you're pointing out, I talk about this big magnifying glass I use to read the very tiny print in The Oxford English Dictionary. The print is so small there's no way you could read it without a magnifying glass. I've learned a lot about magnifying glasses by looking up words in my dictionary. I've learned that what appears in the center of the glass is very sharp and clear. But when you look away from this "focal center" the print gets fuzzy. Now I like to think of my faith in Jesus as that "focal center." The fuzzy parts of the magnified image represent my doubts and unanswered questions. When I move my eyes from those doubts and look at Jesus, life becomes clearer, more focused.
When I look at Jesus, I see someone who struggled and experienced a lot of pain. When I'm looking at Jesus, I see someone who understands everything I'm going through. When I look at Jesus, I see someone who loves me more than I could ever comprehend. As long as I keep my eyes focused on him, I don't have to be afraid of my doubts. I can believe God will see me through them.
by: Chris Lutes
