Yes? No? Maybe So?

January 10th, 2025

How’s your faith doing? Do you ask God for things and then question His ability to answer your prayers? If so, you’re in good company. In this blog, Holly Varnum recounts the responses of a few Bible characters and shows us how we (like them) can be guilty of doubting God because of what we attach ourselves to.

Lately, my attention has been drawn to a few individuals in the Bible and how they responded to God’s plan for their lives. The first two “making the list” will make sense as these came to my attention through the reading of the different Gospel accounts of the advent of Christ. The third (an individual and a group) was pointed out in a recent Sunday morning sermon, and the fourth individual became part of this “team” as I embarked on my Bible reading plan for the new year. When I considered them collectively, however, as representative of how we, as believers, respond to God, my heart was convicted and encouraged all at the same time. Please indulge me as I share the passages read and the ensuing thoughts they generated.

Zechariah, aka Zacharias (Luke 1:1–25, 57–64)

Luke 1:18–20
And Zacharias said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.”

And the angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings. But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time.”

Mary (Luke 1:26-38)

Luke 1:34-38
Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?”

And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible.”

Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Rhoda and the prayer group (Acts 12:1–17)

Acts 12:13-16
And when he knocked at the door of the gateway, a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer. Recognizing Peter's voice, in her joy she did not open the gate but ran in and reported that Peter was standing at the gate.

They said to her, “You are out of your mind.” But she kept insisting that it was so, and they kept saying, “It is his angel!” But Peter continued knocking, and when they opened, they saw him and were amazed.

Noah (Genesis 6:11-22)

Genesis 6:22
Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did.

Since reading and rereading these passages, my mind has been reflecting on my own responses to God.

Do I, like Zacharias, question God’s plan or doubt that He can do what He has clearly stated He will do? (Side note: Was Zacharias so set in his calling and routines that he couldn’t imagine a divine disruption?)
Or, like the prayer warriors in the house with the servant girl, Rhoda, do I pray for God to change a bad situation and then doubt when He gives me the specific answer I prayed for? (Side note: This group was devoted to earnestly praying for Peter, but was their act of prayer overshadowed by their resignation to the reality of the current situation? i.e., Did the Roman occupation and practices cause them to doubt that Peter could be released? Were they actually praying for his release or rather just for his life to be spared?) Or am I more like Rhoda, who immediately recognized the miraculous answer to prayer and joyfully " ran” to tell everyone about the answer?
Like Mary, do I wonder or utter, “How can these things be?” and when given clarity, respond with complete surrender and obedience?
Or, like Noah, do I take God at His Word with no questions asked and trust Him to fulfill His promise as I obey Him?

In full disclosure, I too often fall into the “Zacharias/prayer group camp.” I, in my limited human perspective, pray because I know I should, but in the same breath, I don’t always “pray in faith believing” (Mark 11:22–25). The good news for me (and for you) is that as we grow and draw closer to our Lord daily, we can intentionally strive to respond more like Mary, Rhoda, and Noah.

Let’s take this idea a step further.

Recently, one of my nieces posted a meme on her social media with the following message:

This New Year,

don’t make resolutions.

Instead,

take something apart.

A habit, a belief,

let it crumble. Live without it for a while.

Feel the quiet it’ll bring,

How raw, how open.

Then decide if you really need it

Or if all this time

It was just taking up space. ---May Aygun

I love this! (and I want to encourage you to read Luke 9:23–24 for the biblical worldview on this same concept.)

Too often, we list our goals or “resolutions” to start in January to present a new and improved version of ourselves over the next 365 days, only to lose steam and fail within mere weeks of our pledge. (Hence, the term “Quitter’s Day” as the second Friday in January has come to be labeled.) Could it be that our efforts were somewhat self-serving and sanctimoniously self-imposed?

What if, instead, we seek the whole counsel of God (the Bible) and pray for Him to reveal what we need to let go of (not to add)? Can we then―like Rhoda, Noah, and Mary―trust Him for the results of our obedience?

Yes?
No?
Maybe so?

You’ll only know the answer to these questions if you “lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and … run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus …” (Hebrews 12:1-2). I challenge you today to lay your burdens and your busyness at the foot of the cross. If you do, I have a sneaking suspicion that your faith will grow and your prayer life will begin to thrive.

Author Bio:
Holly Varnum, Director of Curriculum Development at Reasons for Hope, has decades of experience working with teens and adults in camp ministry, teaching, leadership, and curriculum writing (A Beka Book, Focus on the Family, and Answers in Genesis, to name a few). Saved at a very young age and with a passion for God’s truth, she has served in various roles including classroom teacher, homeschool mom, instructional coach, administrator, camp counselor, Sunday School and ladies’ Bible study teacher, and conference speaker.

To learn more about Holly or to book her as a speaker for a women's, teen girls', or educational event, please click HERE.

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