Last Sunday we talked about the questions God asked Cain and Adam and Eve.
Interestingly, we find God asking questions of people all through the pages of Scripture:
- “What is that in your hand?” (Exodus 4:2)
- “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (1 Kings 19:9)
- “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?” (Job 38:4)
- “Why have you despised the word of the LORD by doing evil in His sight?” (2 Samuel 12:9)
I often “hear” God asking me questions like these. Do you? Sometimes the Holy Spirit speaks to my heart the exact wording of a question He asked someone in the Bible: “Do you have good reason to be angry?” (Jonah 4:4). Other times He brings to mind a Scripture text and whispers some application of it: “Is it possible I have orchestrated the events of this day so that you would be here ‘for such a time as this’?” (See Esther 4:14) Or a challenge: “Why are you so afraid, O you of little faith?” (Matthew 8:26)
Every one of God’s questions is powerful. I think they are designed to get us to stop and think! Perhaps about what we have done or are about to do. Other times they check our motives. We do well to ponder them and let God speak to us through them.
Unfortunately, I often miss the gravity of God’s question because of busyness or noise. Just too much going on, I guess. Sometimes I miss the question altogether. Not good. Not good at all.
One solution is to practice walking with God. And I mean a literal walk, where you consciously listen to and talk with Him. You’ve been reading and thinking on a particular Scripture, and the two of you have a conversation about it. Sometimes I talk out loud because it helps me stay on track with Him and keeps my mind from wandering. Let people think what they will.
So what question will God ask you this week? Maybe it’ll be the one He asked Hagar: “Where have you come from and where are you going?” (Genesis 16:8) There’s a lot to that question, isn’t there? Definitely worth contemplating.