Faith & Insight: Right and wrong questions

My kids ask a ton of questions. From the classic “why dad” to even more intricate ones about death and life and Jesus. I never want to give them some fluff answer either. I want to be ready to answer what I can, or help them find the answer to the questions they have. I want to always be able to respond to their questions with great wisdom.

But asking the right question, at the right time, is crucial. The right question, it yields the right answer. The wrong question, it leads us in the wrong direction. And although there many never be a “stupid” question — there definitely are questions we are asking that are keeping us from the truth of what God wants for our lives.

Poor questions yield poor responses and we live in a time where the tension between good and poor is real. We must be faithful at seeking God’s wisdom for our lives —for our needs, for our relationships, for our future and for our spiritual journey. We must seek God’s full wisdom for our lives and trust in what He reveals.

James 1:5-8 reminds us that: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”

Perhaps part of difference between a good question and a poor question is our intent behind our asking. If we are faith filled followers of Christ who intend to actually seek and apply, then we actually build a base with a solid question that can truly search for the right wisdom the Lord will provide. That kind of foundation will enable you to live out the wisdom that you seek. It takes you deeper than superficial questions that focus on your own self-interests and immediate needs. Seeking out God’s wisdom for your questions is the best thing to do and we must do it with every question.

The Lord is faithful and He will provide for you, the answer to your questions. God speaks in a variety of ways. We have to guard our hearts to not read into things that aren’t there. We have to position ourselves in the right places to hear from the Lord as He blesses us with His wisdom so we can apply what He has revealed.

Sometimes God reveals His answers, His wisdom, to us through His Holy Word.

Sometimes He speaks to us through times of prayer where He speaks right into our hearts. And sometimes He speaks to us through a person who loves Him and whom you can trust.

God is faithful and He will reveal to us His wisdom when we seek it.

The wisdom God produces in our lives never contradicts His character or His revealed truth in the Word. So check your prayer life against that. Check the input of those in your life with God’s truth. God is faithful and He will provide you with the wisdom you seek.

So what is one area you need wisdom in your life? Seek the heart of God, ask the right questions and do so without doubt. Doubt will cripple you and it derails your pursuit of God’s saturated wisdom. May you go to the Lord with every question, but may you go with the intent of believing in God, the granter of great wisdom, ready to apply and live out the wisdom from the Lord you have sought.

Nick Emery is the senior pastor at Good Shepherd Wesleyan Church. He can be reached at pastornick@gswc.org.