Faith is full of tension—this holy, uncomfortable, stretching tension. That’s something that’s settled more deeply into my soul the more I’ve walked with God. And if you’ve ever wrestled with tough theological questions, you know exactly what I mean.
Why are these questions so tough? For starters, the Bible isn’t always as clear as we’d like. We don’t always receive such specific guidelines (how to date, what job to choose, what political party to align with…) Sometimes, it even seems to contradict itself. And let’s be honest—sometimes, we just don’t like the answers we find. It’s no wonder tough questions bring tension!
Faith Means Living in the Tension
We crave clear-cut answers, but faith isn’t about certainty. It’s about trust. And trust thrives and even grows in tension. Muscles grow under tension, tightropes need tension for an acrobat to walk across, and relationships deepen through tough conversations. The same goes for faith!
I used to think (or maybe really hoped…) that faith meant having everything figured out eventually. But even the greatest theologians in history never stopped asking questions. And if they didn’t have all the answers, why should we? I hope we feel the RELIEF of knowing the our spiritual mothers and fathers lived to the end of their lives holding this tension in their faith.
We SHOULD Ask Questions
In fact, you should. The church should be the safest place for tough conversations. If you’ve ever been made to feel ashamed for questioning your faith, I’m so sorry.
Even biblical heroes wrestled with God. David cried out in frustration (Psalm 13:2), Abraham questioned divine justice (Genesis 18:23), and Jeremiah asked why the wicked prosper (Jeremiah 12:1). Jesus himself often responded to questions with more questions—pushing people to think deeper rather than just giving easy answers.
Bring Your Questions to God
The word “theology” means the study of God. It comes from 2 Greek words: Theos & Logos.
Theos = God
Logos = the LIVING and ACTIVE word– something that may begin as speech and then manifests into reality. Not just the will of God, but the will and activity of God. And in the Prologue of John chapter 1, we are told that Jesus IS THE LOGOS, He is the Word of God.
Jesus has quite literally INSERTED Himself into the study of Himself.
He WANTS to be involved in our questioning! We cannot (or really, SHOULD NOT) study about God without involving Him. God welcomes our questions. He delights in them. Jeremiah 33:3 tells us, “Call to me and I will answer you,” and James 1:5 says He gives wisdom generously.
At the end of the day, faith isn’t about having all the answers—it’s about drawing closer to God. We’re invited into the mystery, to wrestle, to wonder, and to trust that He’s got us, even when we don’t have everything figured out. And honestly? That comes as such relief to me today.
Audrey Wells 