When Teachers Question God: Wilderness Times in the Believing Teacher's Life

"Moses and the Burning Bush" by James J. Tissot

We question God. It's natural. Men and women of faith have been questioning God since the beginning of time. Rather than discouraging questions, God welcomes them. He even responds.

From Moses's time in the wilderness (Exodus 3) comes a discussion with the Lord about needs and fears that are close to every believer's heart. During times of wandering, these needs and fears come to the forefront.

The Christian teacher may ask some of the same big questions that Moses wrestled with when he met with God at Horeb, the Mountain of God:

"Who am I?"

• Am I called to be a teacher?
• How can I juggle my career and all my other roles?
• Which role is most important?
• What do you want me to be when I grow up?

"Why are the people I care for being treated unjustly?"

• How can I stand up to bullying in my school--from students and adults?
• How can I show compassion to the downtrodden?
• How can I exercise my First Amendment rights and inspire others to do the same?

"Do you see me, Lord? Do you hear?"

• What do you see when you look at me, Lord?
• Do you remember my frailty?
• Why is it so hard to carve out devotional time in my day?
• Are you hearing my prayers? Nothing seems to change.
• I feel like no one listens to me. Are you listening?
• The world is darkening. How can I maintain hope?
• I'm hurting. How can I find your comfort?
• I'm burnt out. Where can I find rest?

"Why am I in this wilderness?"

• Is this the place you want me to be?
• My desires are not being satisfied. Why?
• What are you trying to teach me, Lord?
• Am I willing to listen?
• Am I willing to change?

"How long will this season last?"

• I get impatient. Will you give me a glimmer of hope to keep me going?
• Am I learning patience? Am I learning the other lessons I need to learn?
• Am I drawing close to you?
• Do I believe that you have something good in mind? Do I trust you?

"Where are you leading me?"

• Am I teaching at the right district? In the right grade level or subject area?
• Is it time to look for something different? Or to rest in you right here, right now?
• Is there an area of passion that you are calling me to explore?
• Do I trust you to lead me when I don't know the destination?
• Can I remember that your timing and your purpose may look different from my expectation?
• Do I trust that you are all-wise, all-powerful, and good?

Deserts of the Heart

Right now, many of these questions are settled in my mind, but I can vividly remember times when some of them blazed in front of my eyes every day, keeping me from being effective as a teacher, wife, and mother. Having wrestled with these questions, posed them to God, and learned His will for me, I am a happier, more blessed person for having been led through the wilderness. Yes, I still struggle in my calling at times. Yes, I still have days of confusion and questioning. But I remember the lessons from the desert, and they bring me peace.

Facing the wilderness?

Sometimes we need to ask the help of another Christian friend or two or three to steer us to a place where we can ask these questions. Sometimes God will steer us there directly, by removing responsibilities, by sending obstacles, by bringing us to a desperate place so we have to look to Him.

If you're there now in that desperate place, I hope you will run to the wilderness as Moses did. Allow yourself to thirst and hunger. Wait for God to meet you. Treasure His word. Ask your questions. Believe that it has a purpose.

For further reading:
Devotional Aids for Every Christian Teacher
Teaching As Calling
Exodus Chapter 3 (Bible Gateway)
Deserts of the Heart: Finding God During the Dry Times by Pamela Reeve

Devotional Aids for Every Christian Teacher

When I worked at my previous teaching job, I had to get up at 5:40 at the latest in order to get ready in time for my morning commute. That included time for a shower, a bowl of cereal, twenty minutes or so reading my Bible, a quick routine with clothes, hair, and makeup, and a half-hour drive to work. On the drive, I would usually turn on the local Christian radio station of my preference (sermons, not songs) to put me in the right frame of mind for my day ahead. It was a hectic day no matter how early I got up, but setting the alarm any earlier would have cut into my mandatory sleep time.

Now, with my current teaching job, I live just four blocks from work. Needless to say, my alarm goes off later these days. Still, I try to spend time in the Word every morning. I'm not sure I ever thought technology would play such a big role in my devotional life! Right now I'm reading the book of Matthew on my phone. The way Jesus interacts with people--his disciples, his critics, his needy followers of all kinds--speaks volumes about how I should interact with people at my school.

I've also just begun reading Susan O'Carroll Drake's Morning Meetings With Jesus: 180 Devotions for Teachers, which focuses on the teaching approaches of Jesus and how they apply to our lives as Christian educators. There are many devotional books written with teachers in mind, but this one stood out from the crowd.

Over the years there have been many devotional aids that have helped me devote my days to God in the morning or evening. Here are a few that aren't specifically geared toward teachers:

1. Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon (sign up here for free emails from BibleGateway.com or to read online). It's old-fashioned and eloquent for those quiet moments with God.

2. My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers (visit utmost.org, which states, "Oswald Chambers sometimes startled audiences with his vigorous thinking and his vivid expression").

3. Blueletterbible.org and Biblegateway.com; both offer the text of the Bible online in several versions with numerous study helps and devotionals. I'm currently using Blueletterbible on my phone with the NASB in one column and the KJV in the other. I love being able to compare the two versions as I read. I also use it to check commentaries on the verses I'm struggling to understand.

4. Deserts of the Heart: Finding God During the Dry Times by Pamela Reeve; full of beautiful desert photography paired with devotional text geared toward surrender, contentment, and growth during life's wilderness experiences. My pastor recommended it to me, and now I recommend it to you.

5. Shadow of the Almighty: The Life and Testament of Jim Elliot by Elisabeth Elliot; a staple for me as I have mused about God's calling for me now and in the future. Jim Elliot knew God wanted him to preach to those who had never heard the good news of Jesus and His death on the cross. As a young man, he was often impatient for God's timing to take him to the mission field. Reading his wife Elisabeth's book, which consists mainly of Jim's diary entries and letters, I am comforted in the knowledge that God will be faithful to complete His work in my life.

Whatever devotional aids you choose to try, I hope you will make it your primary focus to read the Word of God every day and to meet with God in prayer. Even Jesus got up "a great while before day" and prayed. Let's strive toward the same pattern in our lives, even as busy teachers.