I have found myself in times when people criticize my beliefs or want to debate the Bible or anything to do with my relationship with God that I want to jump to become God's defense attorney. It's only normal for us to feel like we should defend what we believe. With social media around today, you're going to find many opportunities when you are attacked for your posts about your relationship with God.
Do you know what I have discovered? God doesn't need me to defend him. That's not my job.
Growing up in and around the church all of my life I can tell you this one thing I have noticed - you can never debate someone to become a believer. I have NEVER seen a debate when someone surrenders and says "Oh, you're right. My position is wrong." You can't force someone to believe, and you can't win them over with foolish arguments. I have had people who have supported their attacks with their own studies and educational references. That's what happens. It becomes a "knowledge" arms race instead of a spiritual one. In fact, the Bible says, "Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels." (2 Timothy 2:23)
I have known people who have an answer for everything when it comes to God, but the reality is that we don't have an answer for everything. It's okay when someone attacks you to admit that we simply don't have all the answers. We attempt to use Bible verses or Christian cliches to cover that up when we just need to admit that God doesn't share everything with us nor is he obligated to do so.
Last time I checked, God is God, and I am not. He doesn't have to tell me everything and I don't have to stress myself out about defending Him.
Even now people will ask questions and I will honestly say "I don't know". How do I know something I don't know?
It's like when you attend someone's funeral, we all want to think we can say the right "words" to comfort the person who is grieving yet we fail miserably with the same old worn-out religious catch phrases. Sometimes we simply don't know why good people suffer or why God allows some things and not others. It's one of those things we simply don't have the whole picture like God does.
Sure, I get upset with God sometimes because I don't understand why He doesn't answer my prayer to heal someone or meet a need. We all do. We have a choice to either accept that we aren't God or become bitter about it. Some folks are obsessed with having every single thing explained with either an educational or scientific explanation. That's pretty exhausting and fruitless. We don't have all the answers and that bothers us. How can we not have an answer?
I can't answer for God. This year I came across a quote from Billy Graham that says: "It's the Holy Sprit's job to convict, God's job to judge and my job to love."
It says nothing about being God's defense attorney and defending His actions.
