Embracing Questions: A Journey of Faith and Growth

Devotional

Day 1: Questions as Pathways to Deeper Faith

Questions are not a sign of weak faith but an essential part of spiritual growth. The Bible is filled with examples of faithful individuals who asked questions, showing that God welcomes our curiosity and struggles. Embracing questions can lead us to a deeper understanding of God and our faith. [01:37]

"Then Job answered the Lord and said: 'I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge? Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.'" (Job 42:1-3, ESV)

Reflection: What is one question about your faith that you have been hesitant to ask? How can you bring this question to God in prayer today?

Day 2: Curiosity as a Divine Gift

The story of Adam naming the animals illustrates that curiosity is a divine gift meant to help us explore and understand creation. This curiosity is not about seeking forbidden knowledge but about engaging with the world and our faith in meaningful ways. [03:21]

"And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name." (Genesis 2:19, ESV)

Reflection: In what area of your life can you cultivate a sense of curiosity today? How might this curiosity lead you to a deeper understanding of God's creation?

Day 3: Jesus, the Master Questioner

Jesus used questions to teach and challenge those around Him, inviting them into deeper reflection and understanding. His questions were not meant to confuse but to open hearts and minds to new possibilities, demonstrating that questions can be powerful tools for growth. [05:11]

"And Jesus said to them, 'Whose likeness and inscription is this?' They said, 'Caesar's.' Then he said to them, 'Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.'" (Matthew 22:20-21, ESV)

Reflection: Think of a question Jesus asked in the Gospels. How does this question challenge you to reflect on your own life and faith today?

Day 4: The Role of Strategic Uncertainty

God allows us to experience uncertainty because it fosters growth and character development. Like Job, we grow in ways that certainty cannot provide when we face strategic uncertainty. This process refines our faith and deepens our reliance on God. [10:02]

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." (James 1:2-4, ESV)

Reflection: What is one area of uncertainty in your life right now? How can you trust God to use this uncertainty to grow your faith and character?

Day 5: Community of Questioners

In our faith community, we should encourage and support each other's questions. Questions are a sign of a vibrant and living faith, and by exploring them together, we can grow closer to God and each other. Let us continue to ask, seek, and trust as a community. [10:52]

"And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near." (Hebrews 10:24-25, ESV)

Reflection: How can you create a safe space for others to ask questions in your faith community? What steps can you take to encourage open dialogue and mutual growth?

Sermon Summary

In our journey of faith, questions are not only inevitable but essential. They are the threads that weave through our spiritual lives, prompting us to seek deeper understanding and connection with God. Many people wrestle with the notion that having questions might indicate a lack of faith. However, questioning is a fundamental aspect of being human and a vital part of our spiritual growth. The Bible itself is filled with questions, from the laments in the Psalms to the probing inquiries of Jesus. These questions are not signs of weak faith but rather invitations to explore and deepen our relationship with God.

The story of the Garden of Eden is often misinterpreted as a warning against curiosity. However, the Bible encourages a healthy curiosity about the world and our faith. Adam's naming of the animals in Genesis is an example of this curiosity, as naming was an act of understanding and exploring creation. Similarly, the Psalms, particularly the laments, show us that God welcomes our questions and struggles. Unlike other ancient cultures, Israel's prayers included laments because they believed in a God who cared about their concerns.

Jesus, too, was a master of questions. He used them to teach, challenge, and invite people into deeper reflection. His questions were not meant to trap or confuse but to open hearts and minds to new possibilities. In our own lives, questions can lead us to a more profound faith, as they push us to seek truth and understanding.

The second question we explored is why God doesn't simply give us certainty. The answer lies in the nature of faith and growth. Certainty can be comforting, but it doesn't foster the same depth of character and reliance on God as living with uncertainty does. Strategic uncertainty, as seen in the story of Job, allows us to grow in ways that certainty never could. It is in the valleys of doubt and questioning that our faith is refined and our character is formed.

In our community, we should embrace questions as a sign of a vibrant and living faith. They are not to be feared but welcomed as opportunities for growth and deeper connection with God and each other. Let us continue to ask, seek, and trust together, knowing that God is with us in our questions and uncertainties.

Key Takeaways

1. Embracing Questions in Faith: Questions are not a sign of weak faith but an essential part of spiritual growth. The Bible is filled with examples of faithful individuals who asked questions, showing that God welcomes our curiosity and struggles. Embracing questions can lead us to a deeper understanding of God and our faith. [01:37]
2. Curiosity as a Divine Gift: The story of Adam naming the animals illustrates that curiosity is a divine gift meant to help us explore and understand creation. This curiosity is not about seeking forbidden knowledge but about engaging with the world and our faith in meaningful ways. [03:21]
3. Jesus, the Master Questioner: Jesus used questions to teach and challenge those around Him, inviting them into deeper reflection and understanding. His questions were not meant to confuse but to open hearts and minds to new possibilities, demonstrating that questions can be powerful tools for growth. [05:11]
4. The Role of Strategic Uncertainty: God allows us to experience uncertainty because it fosters growth and character development. Like Job, we grow in ways that certainty cannot provide when we face strategic uncertainty. This process refines our faith and deepens our reliance on God. [10:02]
5. Community of Questioners: In our faith community, we should encourage and support each other's questions. Questions are a sign of a vibrant and living faith, and by exploring them together, we can grow closer to God and each other. Let us continue to ask, seek, and trust as a community. [10:52]
** [10:52]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:27] - Introduction to Questions
[01:03] - The Fellowship of the Withered Hand
[01:27] - Foundational Questions
[01:37] - Is It Okay to Have Questions?
[02:12] - Curiosity in the Garden of Eden
[03:21] - Adam Naming the Animals
[04:05] - Laments in the Psalms
[05:11] - Jesus and Questions
[06:34] - The Importance of Questions in Faith
[07:45] - Why Doesn't God Make Us Certain?
[08:52] - Strategic Uncertainty and Growth
[09:44] - The Good of Not Knowing
[10:02] - Job's Growth Through Uncertainty
[10:52] - Embracing Questions in Community

Sermon Clips

We are people of questions if you feel like you're satisfied with all the answers you know pretty much everything you need to know and your faith and mindset is rock solid then you probably could skip this one or just audit it but if those questions gnaw at you this is the place for you. [00:00:48]

Questions are a fundamental indispensable part of life and in these few moments in this first one I want to do really foundational questions uh just two of them and the first one a lot of people wrestle with at kind of an emotional level is it okay if I have questions isn't the idea if you're a person of strong faith that you're not question stuff. [00:01:22]

The old testament both the testaments really are filled with questions there is a certain kind of knowledge that is forbidden to us and that's part of what the story in the garden of eden is and it does run counter to the way that a lot of people think in our day where we assume we can know anything. [00:02:19]

Curiosity as a whole to wonder about things to probe to be curious to be skeptical is part of what it means to be a human being back in the garden one of the wonderful little moments in it is when god brings the animals one by one before adam and adam names them and the idea of naming in the ancient world wasn't just attaching a label to something. [00:03:07]

In the ancient world of course forms of prayers to the gods were quite common i mean years ago to the uh town of bath in england where the roman baths were and there are still hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of prayers that were written out a couple thousand years ago to the roman gods the most common ones were curses. [00:04:06]

Only in israel were there prayers that took the form of laments not just protests or grieving how things were but bringing that to god and asking god why god where are you god how long god why have you forsaken me psalm 22 and the scholar says the reason those were unique to israel is that only israel believed. [00:04:39]

When jesus taught large groups of people very often he would give instruction but when he was with people individually most often he would pose questions who do you say that i am what do you want what were you arguing about along the way one time a man comes up to him and says how do i inherit eternal life ask jesus a question. [00:05:27]

Jesus was the great question asker over 300 questions because i believe we grow in the face of questions in a way that we do not grow in any other way we need questions and this leads to the second question that i want to look at right now the first one is uh that asking questions is a deep part of becoming a person of faith. [00:06:17]

Faith is a byproduct of knowledge and if you come to know something or someone that is faithful then faith will grow so asking questions is fundamental it's not something to be embarrassed about in a faith community we ought to encourage it cheer people on the asking of honest questions but then a second question related to this is why doesn't god just make me certain. [00:07:27]

In this era of uncertainty if you are able to continue to live with poise and grace and love for other people you will grow in ways that you wouldn't if you had certainty in other words what she wanted was certainty assurance knowledge but what i wanted for her was goodness and what might be called strategic uncertainty has a fundamental role to play in character formation. [00:08:26]

Because job has to go through uncertainty when for job obedience to god is uncoupled from prosperity there is a growth that happens in his soul and if god had told him ahead of time job here's what's going to take place but don't worry about it it will all turn out okay job would never have wrestled and grown in ways that he does. [00:10:04]

Questions are a deep part of life they're a deep part of our community together they are okay and god has good reasons for not giving us a hundred percent certainty and answering all of our questions right now even if we do not always understand what those reasons are and so we ask and we probe and we trust and we look for truth and we do it together. [00:10:42]

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