Do you feel like sometimes your life is just a mess? You look around you and you see chaos everywhere. So many questions that aren’t settled. So many people having issues. It makes you afraid of what is going to happen next. Boy, have I been there and lately it seems like I am right in the middle of a lot of yuck! I try to find the positive but it is hard! Fear is banging on my door.

In the midst of this madness, I hear God’s voice saying,” I want you to come to me as a child. I want you to see me as your Father. I hear you. I see you. I want you to run into my arms and tell me your problems. Ask me questions. You are free to speak here with no condemnation.”

You see, I really didn’t get a chance to be a child. I was forced into adulthood at a very young age. I became responsible. I became a pleaser and a pacifier. I wanted to keep peace on the home front so my father wouldn’t erupt. I didn’t ask because I knew what the answer was going to be. If I wanted something—I would figure out a way to get it. I was afraid to tell the truth. There were bad consequences for the truth. So you can imagine the unhealthy habits that developed over the years in my life.

God has been showing me lately that He wants me to ask. He not only wants me to ask—but boldly ask. He wants me to look into His eyes as my loving Father and tell Him what is troubling me. Have you ever noticed how many questions Jesus asked His people? He was constantly asking questions. He was also constantly answering most of them. He wanted people to pursue answers.

I learned from Beth Moore that Jews are traditionally taught to question in order to learn more deeply. “Judaism tends to encourage individuals to explore their own personal relationship with God.” I am a person that learns from asking questions. I want to know more—so I ask. I know I probably ask too many questions, but I want to know answers. I love discovery. I feel like you grow more when you ask. Sometimes you get an answer and sometimes you have to keep searching.

While studying “The Quest” by Beth Moore I was reminded of a story about Jesus.The story is in Luke 2:41-50. Jesus and His family were in Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover. He was twelve years old at the time. After the Feast was over, His parents, relatives and friends left town to return home. It took them a day to realize Jesus wasn’t with them and that He was still in Jerusalem. It then took them three days to find Him. (If you have ever lost your child for over a minute you know the sheer panic in your heart. It’s one of the worst feelings in the world!) They finally find Him in the temple courts, sitting with the teachers, listening to them and also asking questions. Of course, everyone was amazed at His knowledge of the scriptures.

The one thing that hits me the most about this story is the fact that God Himself in human form was asking questions. He knew the answers—but He was asking. Doesn’t that make you pause? I think He was genuinely interested in knowing what the teachers thought. He wanted to know where they were coming from in their faith and interpretation of the scriptures. I can just picture Him listening intently to them talk and answer His questions. He wanted to know where they were coming from. That picture gives me great comfort because it shows how much He wants to know us—and even more—He wants us to know Him.

When you are walking down the street—and you see someone you know—what is the first thing you normally say? “Hello! How are you?” You are immediately approaching someone with a question. When you are studying or doing homework, the majority of the time you are answering questions. That is how you are learning. (I am having another “AHA” moment.) We don’t learn, unless we ask. We don’t get answers, unless we ask. Most of my spiritual growth has been because I dared to ask. This study I am in called ”The Quest” is about asking questions because learning is an adventure. Beth states, “Nothing swings a door wide open like a question.”

I have to share with you a verse that I just read in my study. I Peter 3:15 “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” This verse made me say,“OUCH!” (I am so convicted!) Most of the time I don’t feel like my brain remembers that I have hope in Christ. I usually respond with all the things that are wrong in my life. I get so overwhelmed that I forget about the hope that I have in Christ. And then there is the gentleness and respect part. WOW! Do I respond that way most of the time? (There are tears in my eyes!) It is important to ask questions, but it is equally important to have the right response.

When God decides to point something out to me that I need to deal with—like He did just now—I need to respond with the right attitude. I am actually responding with an apology. I am telling Him how sorry I am that I have been so negative. It is so easy to let hope get sucked out of my life! It happens before I even realize it. I get in a negative pattern and my thoughts go to the dark side. Does anyone else out there feel that way? Hope is hard!

Hope is hard because I tend to look around me instead of look within me. I forget to remember the things that the Lord has done for me. I dwell on what isn’t happening instead of what He is doing. My hope must be based on Christ—not on anything else. His love, devotion, caring, kindness, teaching, answering and listening to me is where my hope comes from. I want to get to the point where my circumstances aren’t ruling my thinking. I know God is working. I know God is teaching. I know God is answering. I know His answers are perfect–even if His answers are “Wait!” or “No!” (Those are the hard ones!)

The point is—He answers. Sometimes we don’t like the answers, but He always does so with gentleness and respect. That is the kind of God that He is. He doesn’t ask us to do anything that the Holy Spirit can’t help us do. I am proof of that!

I hope this post has made you think about asking and answering questions. The hardest part of my journey has been to realize that I have a heavenly Father who wants me to ask questions. He longs to give me answers and in the process teach me great things. My journey has been hard! I am not gonna lie! But the spiritual ground I have gained because of it is priceless.

I love adventures. I love seeing new things and learning new things. I don’t want to ever stop! I will be on this journey until God calls me home—and then an even greater adventure will begin!!!! I will get to be with my Savior and sit at His feet and ask as many questions as I want to—or I will probably just sit in wonder of all that I see. (I will be speechless for the first time in my life! ha ha! That in itself is a wonder!)

I am going to leave you with verse that brings so much hope to me. I hope it does for you too!!! Until next time dear friends and thanks for reading!

Isaiah 43:19 “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.” I am praying that we can see what He is doing in all of our lives!! If we can’t—then ask for eyes to see!