ABCs of Spiritual Formation: Q is for Question

“How can a young person stay on the path of purity?”

-- Psalm 119:9

“Who do you say I am?”

-- Matthew 16:15

“Where are you?”

-- Genesis 3:9

GLORIOUS ECLIPSE

Being here in the DFW area on April 8,2024, we experienced the lunar eclipse in totality and noted that during our picnic while wearing paper blackout glasses we uttered the word "totality" more times in that hour than in our entire lives up to that point. Regardless, it was glorious and sparked childlike joy in each of us as the sun disappeared and we sat in darkness for 3 minutes at 1:43 in the afternoon. If you ever have the chance to witness a total eclipse, I encourage you to make the effort. For those who were curious, the eclipse did not signal the end of the world, although the two candidates running for US President may be some kind of sign that the end is near. I say, "Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus!"

Q IS FOR QUESTION

Quiet felt like the obvious word here and would be a good one, but in deference to my desire to choose non-obvious words, I'm going with Question here.

As we mature in Christ and experience spiritual formation through different stages, we learn to live in questions, the kinds of questions whose answers are more elusive. We see this throughout the history of God's people. Job had lots of questions for God as we all do when suffering, but he got no answers. He did get God, though, which was all he needed, and we will find the same.

SIMPLICITY TO MYSTERY

Early on in our walk with Jesus, we have lots of questions and are desperate for answers. This is good and right. We need a firm foundation from which to grow. We see this in the book of Proverbs. Proverbs is written as a manual for raising sons and was used as such. It gives sound advice and clarity to those who are learning to navigate the world. As we start out, we are not ready for the complexity of the world. Children need to be protected. I have a precious seven-month-old grandson who has no concept of complexity. Whatever discomfort he feels he makes known and does not stop until he is satisfied. This will be the case for years to come, but as he grows, he will be expected to become more independent and aware. This is true of each of us as we grow in faith. God is infinite, and we are finite, which means many questions we have will not be answered in this life. Interestingly, this doesn't mean we stop asking questions. On the contrary, it gives us the freedom to ask the impossible questions and to sit with God in them. As my partner Dano often reminds me, we grow in the direction of the questions we ask.

JESUS ASKED QUESTIONS

This is a way of discipleship as well. A sign of maturity is acknowledging when we don't know the answers to questions but also asking questions to which we don't know the answers. At the same time, asking obvious questions of those around us can be powerful. Jesus did this habitually. One example is in Mark 10:46-52 when Jesus speaks to Blind Bart. He asks, "What do you want me to do for you?" The answer is obvious, but the question had to be asked. Questions push us to truth. When we are asked a question, we either answer truthfully or we squirm. Either way we are in an opportunity for growth.

CONCLUSION

We are each becoming the kind of people who more and more love God and love our neighbor. This is the point of spiritual formation. Thus, I want to grow as a question asker, both in the questions I ask my neighbors but also in the questions I am asking God.

We are becoming reflective people. We sit with God in his word and with his Spirit, and we enjoy him. We make space to encounter him and when we do we ask questions and many of those questions come from a sincere place and many of those questions don't get answered, but the process of asking and listening and abiding changes us. This is part of the process of becoming people who are non-anxious and humble and good with mystery and don't need to be in control and can be with people who are different and don't need to be in the center and don't need to win. Hard to believe that questions do all that, but they do. Let's be the kind of people who ask hard questions and receive hard questions and sit with Jesus in them. 

“The one who knows all the answers has not been asked all the questions.”

– Confucius

“The power to question is the basis of all human progress.”

– Indira Gandhi

“You can tell whether a man is clever by his answers. You can tell whether a man is wise by his questions.”

– Naguib Mahfouz