The Power of Questions

Luke 2:46-47, "Finally, after three days they found Him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers."

I've talked about this before, but it is so powerful. Mary and Joseph have lost Jesus. They took Him to the temple at the prescribed time. However, somewhere along the journey back home they realized He was nowhere to be found. Now...before you think they were bad parents, I honestly believe that because of the tradition of the Jews that they didn't "lose" Jesus the way we often lose our kids (or forget about them). They just expected Jesus to be making the journey back home with them. Little did they know that He had been invited to sit at the feet of great teacher in Israel. Beginning His training as a rabbi. All because of some really good questions.

Most of us know that Jesus is the answer. The problem is that most of us don't know the questions. Or we haven't learned how to ask the right questions. So much of our journey has been to sit at the feet of knowers. People who have all the answers. We have been trained to think logically, to reason Scripture with Scripture, to know "yes and no." What we haven't learned how to live with is paradox or tension. And many of us were even taught to not ask questions because we might be perceived as questioning God. Well, here is God questioning man.

Jesus, as a young boy, had to come into an understanding of who He was. I'm sure there was the counsel of His mother. The reciting of the prophecies concerning His birth. The Scriptures that He had grown to understand. Along with His own relationship with His Heavenly Father. All of these things combined to create an inquisitive boy who could ask questions that no one had dared to ask before. It was all a part of the recruiting process for rabbinical training. What amazes me in these verses is that they were amazed at His understanding (which was clearly noticed in His questions) as well as His answers. Why? Because you cannot have solid answers without asking the right questions.

Our faith is a mystery revealed. However, within this revelation is even more mystery. Not a mystery that cannot be solved, but enough mystery that keeps us coming to the Father for understanding. Enough mystery to drive us deeper into the Spirit. Enough mystery that keeps us asking questions, believing that we will receive the answers.

Questions have led to some incredible revelations in my own life. They have allowed me to know the Father at a depth that I would have not come into otherwise. They have allowed me to understand more about myself, how I do life, and how I relate to Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It keeps me humble. It keeps me intrigued with life and creation. It helps me to be gracious to others who ask questions as well. I think this is important because quite honestly we have so limited our understanding of GOD. We have put God in a box, carried Him in our pocket, and somehow thought we have cornered the market on Him. We have our explanations. We can give you Scriptures. But do we really know Him and have we really experienced Him. Our questions are a vital part of this journey. Without them we become stagnated. Life cannot flow through.

Deer Season opens up here in VA and I have plans to be in a tree stand. I cannot wait. Not so much for the opportunity to be successful in my hunting, but because I love the silence. I love being in this creation. I love the peace that it brings to my spirit. And the opportunity it provides to clear my mind, fellowship with the Father, and ask the questions that I have failed to ask up to this point. So much revelation has come in a tree stand. So many intimate moments with the Lord have taken place in the middle of the woods. So many answers have been confirmed in my spirit. All because I took the time to ask.

I heard a teacher the other day say these words: "Sometimes one good question is better than a thousand answers."

Enjoy the journey!