Questions About Questions

Someone recently posed an interesting question about questions. He asked, “What questions hinder you from a complete and full relationship with the Lord?”

As a teacher I always maintained that sincere, authentic questions enhance any interaction. I welcome questions because they’re a window that allows me to see what the other person’s thinking. I was surprised by the suggestion that questions might get in the way of my relationship with God.

Then he observed that the first time Satan spoke, it was in the form of a question. He described a sermon centered on the notion that the enemy uses questions in our life to tempt us into fear, doubt, or anything that would hinder us from living our life for the Lord.

Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’ ”

“You will not surely die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” [Genesis 3:1-5]

Was the serpent asking a question? I’d say that he really made a statement in the form of a question to disguise his claim that they couldn’t trust God’s motives. If the question was sincere, the conversation would have ended when the woman verified God’s words.

Jesus And Questions

Jesus welcomed authentic questions. In Matthew 9 He explains why He chooses to eat with sinners and why His disciples didn’t fast.

However, He wasn’t fooled by insincere questions. In Matthew 21:(21-28) some Pharisees asked Jesus to explain the source of His authority. Seeing the deceit in their hearts, He answered their question with one of His own that exposed their fear.

I said earlier that “sincere, authentic questions” enhance an interaction. In my mind, such questions reveal an open desire to understand, to obtain information, to grow. I believe God welcomes those inquiries.

Responding To Questions

As a teacher, my students understood that every question wouldn’t receive a direct answer. I always told my students that I wasn’t afraid to say, “I don’t know but let’s try to find out.” If the student responded with “That’s okay, don’t bother” then I knew he didn’t want to know badly enough to dig for an answer.

I also reserved the right to reply, “You’re just not in a place to understand that yet” to a question from an algebra student that required calculus to explain.

For the most part my students learned to trust my judgment. They believed I wouldn’t duck legitimate questions, so they accepted “Wait a while,” when that was the best reply.

I think God answers our questions this way. If we really want to know and are willing to study and pray, He’ll help us uncover understanding that’s within our capacity. When we seek an answer that’s simply beyond human understanding, He asks us to wait and trust Him.

Occasionally we want answers we simply can’t understand even if they appeared. When a sixth grader wants to know why the formula for a circle’s circumference is “pi times diameter,” there’s no point is providing a derivation that’s beyond his experience. In a classroom based on trust, “Wait” is enough.

Same thing with God.

Some folks say that God tells us what He wants us to know and we have to trust Him for the rest. I tend to think that He tells us all we’re capable of knowing and understanding. I don’t think He withholds knowledge simply because He can, but because some things are beyond comprehension from human perspective. So I think we ask and probe as far as we can, and trust Him for the rest.

Problems With Questions

I suspect that questions get in the way in a couple of situations:

They’re not really questions. Kids often ask, “Why do I need to know this?” Sometimes it’s a sincere desire to make sense, to understand how this topic fits into the big picture. Often it’s a complaint that this work is difficult and I’d rather be outside. The “question” is actually a diversion, an effort to side-track the conversation.

In Genesis 3:1 the serpent used a question to plant the seed of doubt. We must always discern whether questions from others, or in our own hearts, are really attempts to remove focus from God.

The question includes a demand for an “acceptable” answer. It’s simply a fact that some inquiries lead to surprising, unpleasant, or downright painful conclusions. If it’s truly a quest for understanding, you can’t decide in advance what constitutes a suitable resolution.

You must also be willing to accept “I don’t know” as the response.

This happens a lot when we invoke God to win political or social debates. We pre-determine the agenda, then become pick-n-choosers who defeat the enemy with carefully-chosen arrows of scripture. Be careful the next time you hear, “What does God think about (insert policy or moral issue here).”

If you don’t want the answer, you shouldn’t ask the question.

Relationships

Questions are essential to growth and depth of interaction any transparent relationship. Since God created me to be in eternal relationship with Him, I can’t imagine that He’s offended by my questions. Like a wise teacher, I’m sure there are times when He chuckles and shakes His head at my lack of vision. I can hear Him saying, “If you could only see it from my point of view.”

He probably feels like the father of a two-year-old who patiently endures and endless litany of “Why, Daddy?” But like that human father, I don’t think He wants me to stop asking.

I believe He wants me to think and learn and ask and grow to my potential. I think He wants me to inquire fearlessly and openly.

And when I just don’t get it, He wants me to fall into His love and trust Him for the rest.

Are there any places where questions get in the way of your relationship with God?