When Faith Asks Different Questions - Edition 42
Faith Forward (Weekly Newsletter)
As I’ve been reading Luke’s Gospel, the Lord has been drawing my attention back to two encounters: the angel meeting Zechariah and the angel meeting Mary.
Both encounters are miraculous. Both are unexpected. Both involve a promise from God that feels impossible.
But the responses? Very different.
Zechariah questions whether God can do what He says. Mary asks how God will do what He says.
Our posture often looks a lot more like Zechariah’s.
1. Zechariah questioned from doubt, not curiosity.
When the angel tells Zechariah that he and Elizabeth will have a son, his response is centered on limitation: “How can I be sure of this?” He looks at his age, his circumstances, his reality, and filters God’s promise through all of it. His question isn’t wrong, but his posture is. It’s a question that says, “God, prove it to me.”
That’s where many of us live. We believe in God, but when He speaks, we quietly ask Him to clear the bar of our logic first.
2. Mary questioned from surrender, not skepticism.
Mary also asks a question: “How will this be?” But notice the difference. She doesn’t doubt God’s ability; she simply wants to understand her role in what He’s already declared. Her question flows from trust. And it ends with one of the most faith-filled statements in Scripture: “May it be done to me according to your word.”
Mary teaches us that faith isn’t the absence of questions; it’s the posture we bring when we ask them.
Reflection Questions:
When God invites me into something uncertain, do my questions sound more like Zechariah’s or Mary’s?
What would it look like to move from needing proof to choosing trust in my current season?
Closing Prayer:
God, Thank You for being patient with our questions. Forgive us for the moments we shrink Your promises down to the size of our understanding. Teach us to ask from faith, not fear. Help us trust You even when the how isn’t clear. Like Mary, we want to say yes to You before we have all the answers. May it be done to us according to Your word. Amen.