Yesterday’s meditation pondered the power of the pause. Today, our pondering focuses on the power of questions over answers. Let’s face it, we like answers. We want them, demand them. But there are days, months, and maybe even years when clarity feels just out of reach—like trying to hold mist in your hands. You sit with Scripture, bow your head to pray, and stare out the window waiting for a thought to take shape… but instead of answers, only questions rise.
We often treat questions as obstacles. Barriers. Evidence that our faith isn’t deep enough or our prayer life isn’t strong enough. Evidence that somehow we’re not enough.
But what if the questions are the very places where God is already meeting us?
Scripture doesn’t shy away from question marks. The psalmist cries, “How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?” (Psalm 13:1). Jesus asks his disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:15). “Where are you, God?” “Who is my neighbor?” “Why are you afraid?”
We ask questions of God. God asks questions of us. The disciples ask questions. Jesus answers questions with… more questions. Why? Perhaps because questions draw us deeper than answers ever could. Questions are invitations to go deeper rather than to settle for easy clarity.
Questions reveal desire. Questions expose hunger. Questions name the ache we’ve been carrying. And sometimes, the Holy Spirit stirs up questions precisely because we’re ready to notice what we’ve been ignoring.
When we don’t know what to ponder, perhaps we ponder the questions themselves:
Why does this matter to me?
What am I really longing for?
What am I afraid God might say?
Where is the Spirit nudging me?
Sometimes God’s grace shows up as a clear direction. Other times, it shows up as a holy question that refuses to leave us alone. Questions aren’t the absence of God’s leading; they’re often the clearest and best sign of it.
When we sit with our questions instead of rushing past them, we make room for God to shape us from the inside out. Questions slow us down long enough for God to work on the deeper layers—the ones answers can skim over too quickly.
So, don’t apologize for your questions. Don’t rush to grab the first or easiest answer. Instead, hold them gently. Sit with them prayerfully. Let them lead you toward the God who is already seeking you. Your questions can be the doorways to the invitations to journeys God has been preparing you to take.
“Call to me, and I will answer you, and tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” (Jeremiah 33:3).
Prayer: Lord, give me courage to sit with my questions. Teach me to trust the process of seeking. And may every question—no matter how small—draw me deeper into your heart. Amen.
