Strange Instruments

“God deals patiently with us. We need not be afraid to ask God our most difficult questions.”

Some of the instruments a doctor uses look strange or even threatening to ordinary people. They may seem more suitable for destruction than healing. But in the hands of a skilled surgeon, these instruments are used for a positive result. God also sometimes uses strange tools. In the days of Jonah, Nahum, and Habakkuk, the Lord disciplined His people through unbelieving nations, such as the Assyrians and Babylonians, causing His servants to ask hard questions: What is God doing (Jonah 4:5)? Will God leave the guilty unpunished (Nah. 1:3)? How long must we wait for God to act (Hab. 1:3)?

Questions like these are often deeply personal. Jonah was “angry enough to die” (Jonah 4:9). Nahum was eager, preaching more than a century after Jonah had prophesied that Nineveh would be overthrown (compare with Jonah 3:4). Habakkuk was indignant: God seemed to ignore the sins of Judah, and then He announced that He would use the Babylonians to discipline them. How could God use such instruments to do His work (Hab. 1:6, 13)?

God’s response to their questions went beyond the assertion of His divine sovereignty. His dealings with Jonah were patient, ensuring that the prophet would complete his mission but also inviting him to examine his actions (Jonah 1:17; 2:10; 3:2; 4:4, 9–10). The Lord reassured Nahum that even though He was slow to anger, He was also “great in power” and would “not leave the guilty unpunished” (Nah. 1:3). The Lord responded to Habakkuk’s frustrated question, explaining: “I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told” (Hab. 1:5).

God deals patiently with us as well. We need not be afraid to ask God our most difficult questions. But it is also true that we might not be able to understand or even be willing to accept the answers He gives. It is important to remember that all our questions do not necessarily have to be answered to our complete satisfaction before we can fully trust. It is enough to recognize that God knows us, and He knows what He is doing.

For Further Study

To learn more, read Asking God Your Hardest Questions by Lloyd J. Ogilvie (PRH Christian Publishing).