My son is in that stage of asking the same question over and over again. “What his name is?” is one of his favorites. He especially wants to know all the names of superheros, kids at the playground, and animals. I don’t even know the names of the superheros, so I’ve had to get creative in answering. I just recently discovered that if I asked him the same question he’s asking me, he often knows the answer and will go ahead and answer it.
We see in the Bible that God often asks questions. In the garden of Eden, God asked Adam and Eve where they were hiding- as if He couldn’t see them. Jesus asked the woman caught in adultery where everyone went; why was there no one standing there any longer, waiting to condemn her? He asked the woman at the well if she was married. God doesn’t ask because He needs our answers. There was a reason behind the question.
Why do we as God’s children ask him questions we know the answers to, whether we just know the answer logically, or we know the answer from the Bible. Do we ask questions like, “Should I cheat on my taxes?” when we know that God tells us to obey the laws of our nation.
I remember when I was doing campus ministries, one of my ministry associates related this story: a student came to him and asked him to pray, that the student would be able to discern whether or not he should stay in the country illegally or go home and try and renew his visa. My associate said, “I don’t need to pray about that – you need to go home and renew your visa.”
Why does my son ask me questions he knows the answer to? I don’t really know. By the time he is old enough to answer that question, to cognitively understand why he’s asking that question, he likely won’t remember doing it. Is he asking me because he wants reassurance of my presence, reassurance that I’m listening to him, that I’m paying attention, that I value what he has to say?
Why do we ask God questions that we know the answer to? Are we looking for the same thing? Are we testing the waters or looking for an exception to the rule? And why does God sometimes answer us with a question of His own?
About Brenna Kate Simonds
Good word, Brenna. Sometimes I even catch myself asking questions I should already know the answer to. I think sometimes when the answer we know is a hard one – maybe we are stalling for time? Maybe we are just hoping for a way out? Or maybe just the praying and talking our way through it with God, as a part of the process, helps solidify in our hearts and minds what we already know to be true?
Good word, Brenna. Sometimes I even catch myself asking questions I should already know the answer to. I think sometimes when the answer we know is a hard one – maybe we are stalling for time? Maybe we are just hoping for a way out? Or maybe just the praying and talking our way through it with God, as a part of the process, helps solidify in our hearts and minds what we already know to be true?