Hey, God called while you were out and left a message for you. He has some questions and wants you to call Him back with the answers.
Wouldn’t it be remarkable if we could speak directly and audibly with God whenever we had a question? I suspect your heart would skip a beat (as would mine!) if you heard a voice message alert on your phone – and the message was from God.
The truth is that we can and do have the opportunity to talk with God through prayer. But if you’re waiting for an audible voice to respond, you may be disappointed. Not to worry, though. God gave us His Word as a means of communicating with us. He also communes with our spirits through conviction and what I call “spiritual nudges.” It is through His Word, prayer, and listening to His Spirit’s still, small whisper that we can communicate with Him.
We are told in 2 Timothy 3:16 that Scripture is a “God-breathed” document, not just an ordinary book. Hebrews 4:12 confirms it is an active, living, and breathing love letter to us. Its purpose is to reveal God to us while at the same time penetrating deep within us – even piercing the thoughts and attitudes of our hearts. It seeps into the recesses of our dark, hidden places within that we conceal from everyone. Yet, it is there where God meets with us and asks the tough questions that motivate our transformation into Christlikeness.
As we read His Word and allow His Spirit access to our hearts, minds, and souls, He challenges us to become more like Him. Yes, there are many things He tells us; but He also asks us specific questions that are relatable and applicable today.
God’s Questions
We all have questions and we expect certain answers to those questions. We expect positive answers to questions like, Would you like to have dinner with me? or Will you marry me? When we ask, How are you doing? we expect the usual, I’m fine response. Some questions are rhetorically humorous like when my parents used to ask me, Do you want a spanking? or Do you hear me? Of course no child ever said, Sure, dad – I’d like to have a really painful spanking!
Well, God has questions too. In His pursuit of having a personal, intimate relationship with us, He wants to know what we are thinking, what we are wondering, our fears, our doubts, our goals, our questions. He reveals Himself to us while also asking questions that reveal who we are. Intimacy is established when two people reveal more and more of themselves to each other. God asks probing questions to encourage an open and honest conversation with Him.
Sprinkled throughout Scripture, we find questions He asked of people long ago. If we listen carefully, we realize they are also pointed in our direction. They include questions that challenge, confront, correct, and ultimately comfort. He challenges our hearts, confronts our comfort zones, corrects our mindsets that do not align with His truth, and ultimately comforts us with the realization of Who He is.
For sure, answering His questions reveals much more than just who we are. Our honest answers expose some pretty heavy core issues we must all confront at various times in our lives.
If you are up to the task, I challenge you to seriously think about and honestly answer several questions God is asking you today. They include some of the most important and life changing answers of your life!