We usually ask questions because we want answers! Tonight, we looked at the places we might find answers to our big questions about life, God and everything else!
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The Bible
if we want to know more of who God is, what He is like, how He thinks and acts, the most reliable way to do this is to read the Bible. Many of life’s questions are answered as we look here. ‘Where did I come from?’ may involve human biology, but the Bible says that God created people, and therefore has an answer to that question. ‘Why do people die?’ is another question the Bible tackles: it says ‘all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God’ (Rom 3:23) and that ‘the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ (Rom 6:23) People die ultimately because of sin, because of the human tendency to rebel against God’s commands. We can’t really answer why people die just from a biological point of view; we need to know what the Bible says the reason for death is.
2. Other People
God can also give us answers to our questions through other people. That may be our family and friends; it may be other church members; it may be the wider world. It can even be our enemies! But there is no doubt that God speaks through people. 1 Pet 4:11 says, ‘if anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God.’ God can use people to speak words of prophecy, tongues and interpretation and words of wisdom and knowledge to us (1 Cor 12:8-10) – and through these things, we often have our questions answered and direction given to our lives.
Of course, it matters that we weigh what people say, because they won’t always get it right, but nonetheless, we shouldn’t be surprised if God speaks to us through other people. It’s one reason church, relationships and community are so important; they are all ways that our questions are answered.
3. God’s Creation
Ps 19:1 says, ‘The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.’ God is all around us; His creation is singing His praise. Paul says that some of our questions about God can really be answered through the wonders of the created world. He says, ‘By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able to see what their eyes as such can’t see: eternal power, for instance, and the mystery of his divine being.’ (Rom 1:20, The Message) In other words, we can sense the presence of a Creator from the wonder all around us and can begin to have some of our questions answered as we explore the wonder of creation.
4. God Speaking Directly
The Bible is full of stories of people to whom God spoke (Adam and Eve, Abraham, Moses, Ezekiel, Isaiah, Jeremiah and so on.) Whilst we may not hear an audible voice speaking to us, Jesus reminded us that His sheep know His voice. (John 10:4-6) God can and does speak to us personally and we need ears to hear His voice.
5. Dreams and visions
The Bible teaches us that God can speak to us through dreams and visions (e.g. Joseph, Daniel, Ezekiel.) Often, these confirm what God has been saying to us in other ways, but these can be a powerful way of communication!
6. Angels
Angels are God’s messengers and often come to people with specific messages from God. People who receive these messages may well not have been asking questions as such; we never hear, for example, that Mary and Joseph were asking questions, but God definitely had a message for them which he delivered through angels. (Luke 1:27-38; Matt 1:20-23) But on some occasions, an answer may be given to us through an angel; this seems to have happened to Daniel, who was praying and seeking God and who received an answer from the angel Gabriel, who said, ‘Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and understanding.’ (Dan 9:22) Angels might not always look like someone wearing a white dress with a halo shining above their head, since Heb 13:2 tells us, ‘Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.’ (Heb 13:2) Presumably angels can look like ‘ordinary’ people too!