The Vineyard Church

They say there is no such thing as a dumb question. I disagree...I have heard some pretty dumb questions. Sometimes, though, not asking the right questions causes confusion and misunderstanding. So I guess it is okay to ask a dumb question rather than miss something very important later.

Take Jesus' disciples as a good example...

Mark 9:30-32 says, "Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, 'The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise.' But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it."

It would seem like Peter, who is always saying something, would just go ahead and ask what everyone else is thinking...but he doesn't. Someone, anyone could have asked, but they were afraid to ask him.

I am sure an element of pride stood in their way. They didn't want to seem ignorant in front of their teacher...or each other. So they kept quiet.

The problem with this approach is that their ignorance is revealed in the very next passage...Mark 9:33-34 says, "They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, 'What were you arguing about on the road?' But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest." They were so focused on the Coming Messiah being a conquering, political hero that they missed Jesus' actual purpose. They expected that He would set up a Kingdom, destroy the wicked, set up a time of peace and justice, and make them His leaders and council.

But Jesus was not fitting that mold.

In the late 90's, I was working at a church that I believed God had called me to serve...but things were not going well. There were conflicts that threatened the ministry of the church, and I was unsure of if and why God had called me to serve there. After asking a few of my own questions, God showed me that it wasn't necessarily about that particular church...it was about what He was teaching me in the process.

Sometimes our life circumstances do not fit the mold we expected, and we fail to see how God is working behind the scenes. We also fail to ask God for insight and wisdom to discern where He is leading. Life isn't always what we expect it to be, but God is always working in and through our circumstances to help us grow personally and spiritually.

Today, take some time to ask God those "dumb" questions you really need to ask. Have a pen and paper (or a journal if that is your thing) and a Bible ready. Ask the question...do some reading in God's Word...then sit for about 5 minutes listening quietly...then write down what you sensed. You will be surprised how much God wants to tell you.

Eric Wright