Got Questions?

by Tracy Gordon

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.” –Hebrews 11:6

Something I know about myself since many have pointed it out to me for most of my life, is that I ask a lot of questions. For many of you who know me well, you may be laughing saying, “duh, this is no new information!” I’m sure there were times I exasperated my kids for which I am sorry, but I surely meant well and had their best interests in mind.

Once when preparing to go on a mission trip to Honduras, I remember asking so many questions that when we arrived and were asked if there were any questions regarding first-day assignments, someone looked at me with expectation and said, “Just let Tracy ask all the questions because she knows what we’re all thinking anyway!” When helping advocate for family members with medical situations, I have been known to ask so many questions that a procedure was postponed until appropriate answers were found.

Sometimes I might ask questions of greater detail simply so I can pray very specifically for something. Yes, I have been called the “Queen of Questions,” but I just don’t settle well until I have answers. In my spiritual life I realize this can be challenging. With God, we are not always going to get all of the answers in the timing we desire. Can I be OK with that? If I don’t get an exact answer, is that a time to fully surrender knowing the answer will eventually come?

In Hebrews 11:6, the author tells us, “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.” I look at this verse as God telling His humble children to not stop asking questions and to expect that God has answers and rewards those who seek Him.

Jesus summarized His view of questions when He specifically told His disciples to “ask, and you will receive, seek, and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you, for whoever asks receives…” (Matthew 7:7-8). Jesus could not have been more clear in sharing the priority of asking questions and seeking. While we may want to seek other people and sources to answer the questions that plague us, God wants us to seek Him first. If we bring our questions to Him, He can do for us what He did for David and many other heroes of the faith.

In Psalm 13, David is crying out to God to “turn and answer me, O Lord my God! Restore the sparkle to my eyes, or I will die. Don’t let my enemies rejoice at my downfall.” He pleads with God, begging Him to “look at me please! Answer me, please! Restore me please!” Even at one of his darkest moments, David knows God is the only one to whom he can turn. Instead of keeping his questions from God, he pours them out with honesty and vulnerability. He trusts God to handle his questioning, pleads for God’s response, and then lifts his head to receive God’s presence and power. David’s questions turn to praises, his doubting to singing, and his sadness to joy.

Friends, I want to encourage you to walk toward God with your questions. He wants to hear every single one, big or small. Hold out hope for God’s answers and try to replace your fear of the answer with trust in Him. I know, easier said than done. Notice I said, “try.” You’ve got to start somewhere. As you genuinely seek His answers, try (notice I again said “try”) to surrender control to His purpose and plan. We know that on this side of eternity, we may never have the answers to all of our questions. However, we also know that, for those who know Jesus and have put their hope and trust in Him, we have the assurance of one day seeing everything with perfect clarity…even our toughest questions.

Lord Jesus, help us to never keep our questions from You. Please give us the courage to trust You for the answers and expect that they will come so that we can grow closer to You and live by Your example each day. In Your most precious name, Jesus, we pray. Amen.