Oftentimes when we first enter into a faith belief system, our primary motivator is the presence of questions in our lives that we want answered. Questions of origin (“Where did I come from?”), purpose (“What’s the meaning of my existence?”) and the future (“What happens when I die?”) may lead us to seek a belief system in which we hope our questions will be answered. We may dig deep into studying scripture, seeking God in prayer and connecting with other believers in the hope that we will find ALL the answers we so desperately seek. These disciplines work well for building a foundation, but what happens when we come across a question for which we have no (present) answer? How comfortable are we with the unanswered questions? How comfortable are we to be the one asking those questions– either to ourselves, others, or God Himself. Turns out, if we are modeling our lives after Jesus, we may need to become very comfortable with questions.
Contrary to some well-established assumptions, Jesus is not the ultimate encyclopedia, providing answers for every question we have. In fact, He may be more like your great uncle who pulls up a chair, tells a good story and then asks you a profound question that changes your whole perspective. In the Gospels, Jesus asks many more questions than he answers. In fact, Jesus asks 307 questions. He is asked 183 questions. How many questions does He answer? Three.
Could it be that Jesus is showing us that the way to peace is not in having the answers but in learning to love through the process? Most therapist’s favorite catch phrase is “Trust the process.” Is it possible that the relationship we build with Jesus is much more important to Him than our immediate comfort in having our questions answered in the format, timeline and manner we prefer?
This week, I encourage you to being to make peace with the questions in your heart and mind. You can submit them to God in prayer, pouring out your heart honestly before Him. He doesn’t fault you for asking questions– just know that the answer may be something you have to LIVE into over time. Trust the process– and the One who’s working within it.
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