.....questions

Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known Jeremiah 33:3

Susan, a curious six-year-old, asked her parents lots of questions. One day, her mother, exhausted from the nonstop inquiry, said, “Have you ever heard that curiosity killed the cat?”Susan said, “No.”

“Well, there was a cat, and he was very inquisitive. One day, he looked into a big hole, fell in, and died.”

Susan paused for a moment, then asked, “What was in the hole?”

We laugh because we recognize it. That desire to know more, to understand, to keep asking — it’s built into us from the time we’re little. But somewhere along the way, many of us are taught to not ask any questions, especially when it comes to matters of faith. So we don’t.

We worry about appearing to be ignorant or unspiritual. We’re afraid of being labeled a doubter or a troublemaker. Previous attempts to ask questions may have been shut down, ignored, or met with hostility. So we keep quiet.

But God doesn’t shut the door on our questions. In Jeremiah 33, God says, “Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” God wants us to seek, to wonder, to ask the deep and even uncomfortable things. He’s not threatened by your curiosity. He’s not disappointed by your confusion. In fact, he delights in a heart that is reaching out to know more about him.

Throughout the Bible, we see faithful people asking bold questions — Abraham asking God how the promises would come true, Job pouring out his anguish, the disciples constantly trying to make sense of Jesus' teachings. God didn't turn any of them away. God doesn’t shame us for being curious. He wants us to ask. He wants us to seek. He wants us to dig deeper.

So don’t be afraid to ask, “What’s in the hole?” Don’t silence your questions or hide your doubts. Bring them to God, the one who knows all things and is never threatened by your curiosity.

- alan smith

Father, thank you for being a God who welcomes questions. Help me not to hide my wonder, confusion, or doubt, but to bring it all to you. Teach me to seek you with a curious heart. In Jesus’ name, amen.