Asking God the right question
I was hiking up Mt. Mitchell last weekend and the thought came to me, “One reason so many people are stuck spiritually is that they’re asking an important question, but they’re just asking it at the wrong time.”Whether we realize it or not, in our own way, we all ask five ultimate questions of God at some point in our lives.
Who? Who am I? Who are you? Who am I to be with?
What? What am I to do? What’s my purpose on this world?
Where? Where am I to do it?
Why? Why is it important?
How? How am I to do it?
When I asked myself these questions, I realized that a lot of people probably get stuck because they’ve tried to answer a question, but done so in the wrong order.
We guys especially are wired to answer the “what?” question. But we need to ask the “who?” question first. Role without identity can lead to insecurity. One reason a lot of guys are hard to love is that they don’t know themselves and therefore can’t love themselves.
When I asked the “what?” question, my answer was: “I bring dead things to life. I unlock prisoners and potential. I see possibility. I fight for the poor, the hopeless and oppressed.” But this came after I’d already answered the “who?” question.
What question are you trying to answer? If you’re feeling, stuck, maybe even frustrated with God, perhaps you need to go back and make sure you’re asking him the right question at the right time.
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Great post! So true – knowing who we are in Christ is so important… God has also taken me through a process of Him asking me, “What do you want?” – I’ve had several girlfriends encounter that question too…
You’re so right kemosabe.Until the Who question is answered, it seems that the answer to every other question is very skewed and partial.
I often struggle to find direction and purpose, even though I ask God for help, but He often seems quiet. When He finally speaks, I realize it is because I finally asked the right question and that He wasn’t silent, I just didn’t understand the answer.. because I wasn’t asking the right questions. We so often only see right in front of us, but as we look at the big picture the right questions become clearer.
I’m finding that the WHO question has to be asked and answered with each progression of faith. If I’m asking the important questions; Who am I? What am I to do? Where am I do to it? Why and How and I to do it? That’s a lot of questions terminating on self. Self discovery is crucial to our progression.
I’m beginning to see that each of those questions needs to be then followed with “WHO”. Each phase of my growth should ultimately terminate on Christ. We can do nothing without Christ who is “of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” (Ephesians 4)
This has been a sticking point for me. I keep getting direction from God and then running off to try to make it happen on my own. I should find my identity, purpose, drive, provision, and direction IN Him. I feel like I’m just beginning to learn what that means – and I think it’s as simple as asking and answering the “WHO” question on a consistent basis.
I don’t know – just musing some thoughts….