“He [Pontius Pilate] took Jesus back into the headquarters again and asked him, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave no answer. “Why don’t you talk to me?” Pilate demanded. “Don’t you realize that I have the power to release you or crucify you?”” (John 19:9–10, NLT)
Sometimes, we demand answers from God when we don’t even understand the questions.
In the middle of an argument, the husband said to his wife, “Why do you hate me?” She just stared back at him. Her eyes bored into him. She was very upset and was not going to demean herself with an answer, or so she thought. What the husband did not understand at that moment was that his wife was lashing out at him because she assumed that he had cheated on her. For days, she yelled at him for the smallest things, found ways to nitpick, and started arguments just to make him angry. What she did not perceive was that he had not cheated on her. When the wife heard some gossip that her husband had shared a meal an unknown woman at an intimate restaurant, she was livid. What she failed to grasp was that he was there to meet his brother’s future wife. His brother was stationed overseas and had flown his new fiancé home to surprise the family. The two were at a surprise luncheon arranged by the brother overseas. It ended up causing a major argument between husband and wife.
Out of frustration, this husband asked his wife, “Why do you hate me?”. That was not the right question. What may have cleared things up was if he asked, “Is your anger directed at me because I had lunch with a woman you don’t know?” Of course, the husband didn’t even know to ask the right question. He wasn’t privy to his wife’s gossip. The wife didn’t like the way her supposedly cheating husband questioned her. She was so emotional by that point; she couldn’t even comprehend her husband wasn’t guilty and deserving of hate.
When you don’t understand your situation in life, you may be asking the wrong questions. Even when you have a good idea of what is going on, your question may be inappropriate. It is highly possible if you ask a misleading question that your purpose might be misunderstood. You might be uninformed. You might be suffering from blind ambition and not even see your predicament. There are many ways a person can ask the wrong question or look for the wrong answers.
A friend once asked Isidor I. Rabi, a Nobel prize winner in science, how he became a scientist. Rabi replied that every day after school his mother would talk to him about his school day. She wasn't so much interested in what he had learned that day, but she always inquired, "Did you ask a good question today?"
"Asking good questions," Rabi said, "made me become a scientist."
Are you asking God the right questions or the wrong ones? Do you understand what is going on in your life well enough to seek the right answers to your questions? There are so many ways that questions and answers can be misguided. Take for example, Pontius Pilate. This Roman Governor questioned Jesus in the scripture for today. He asked Jesus, “Where are you from?” Without knowing, Pilate had asked the wrong question. Jesus was sent from God the Father. He was on a mission from Heaven. Jesus could have answered that he was born in Bethlehem or that his hometown was Nazareth. This wouldn’t have helped his case. Pilate was being “informed” by Jewish leaders who sought to crucify Jesus. To do this, they needed the stamp of approval from the Roman Governor, Pilate. Because Pilate was unable to understand the complexities of the Jewish religion and Jesus’ mission and the Jewish view of Biblical Authority, there was no way for Jesus to answer Pilate correctly. Any answer Jesus gave would probably be misunderstood and misused. In response, “Jesus gave no answer” (John 19:9).
You may find yourself in need of answers in your life. These answers could be crucial. However, if you ask God the wrong questions or don’t understand your situation in life, don’t be surprised if you wind up clueless. Even if you ask the right question, God might give you an unexpected answer or an answer you don’t have the spiritual capacity to comprehend. Then, it might seem like God is being evasive or not answering your prayers when in fact, you don’t even understand what is the right question. You may not even know a good answer when you hear one!
If God doesn’t seem to be answering your prayers, seek to ask different questions. Look for ways to communicate with God differently. Open yourself up to new possibilities and other spiritual options. You might be surprised what God is saying when you think God is being silent.
Jesus’ answer to Pilate may seem like no answer. Jesus said nothing. Sometimes, silence is a way for God to answer a question that is wrong or lacking in some way. It certainly was true for Jesus in the scripture for today. Is it also true for you in this moment of your life?
Are you asking the right questions?
Would you be open to the right answers?
Are you even listening to what God is saying or purposefully not saying?
In the middle of an argument, the husband said to his wife, “Why do you hate me?” She just stared back at him. Her eyes bored into him. She was very upset and was not going to demean herself with an answer, or so she thought. What the husband did not understand at that moment was that his wife was lashing out at him because she assumed that he had cheated on her. For days, she yelled at him for the smallest things, found ways to nitpick, and started arguments just to make him angry. What she did not perceive was that he had not cheated on her. When the wife heard some gossip that her husband had shared a meal an unknown woman at an intimate restaurant, she was livid. What she failed to grasp was that he was there to meet his brother’s future wife. His brother was stationed overseas and had flown his new fiancé home to surprise the family. The two were at a surprise luncheon arranged by the brother overseas. It ended up causing a major argument between husband and wife.
Out of frustration, this husband asked his wife, “Why do you hate me?”. That was not the right question. What may have cleared things up was if he asked, “Is your anger directed at me because I had lunch with a woman you don’t know?” Of course, the husband didn’t even know to ask the right question. He wasn’t privy to his wife’s gossip. The wife didn’t like the way her supposedly cheating husband questioned her. She was so emotional by that point; she couldn’t even comprehend her husband wasn’t guilty and deserving of hate.
When you don’t understand your situation in life, you may be asking the wrong questions. Even when you have a good idea of what is going on, your question may be inappropriate. It is highly possible if you ask a misleading question that your purpose might be misunderstood. You might be uninformed. You might be suffering from blind ambition and not even see your predicament. There are many ways a person can ask the wrong question or look for the wrong answers.
A friend once asked Isidor I. Rabi, a Nobel prize winner in science, how he became a scientist. Rabi replied that every day after school his mother would talk to him about his school day. She wasn't so much interested in what he had learned that day, but she always inquired, "Did you ask a good question today?"
"Asking good questions," Rabi said, "made me become a scientist."
Are you asking God the right questions or the wrong ones? Do you understand what is going on in your life well enough to seek the right answers to your questions? There are so many ways that questions and answers can be misguided. Take for example, Pontius Pilate. This Roman Governor questioned Jesus in the scripture for today. He asked Jesus, “Where are you from?” Without knowing, Pilate had asked the wrong question. Jesus was sent from God the Father. He was on a mission from Heaven. Jesus could have answered that he was born in Bethlehem or that his hometown was Nazareth. This wouldn’t have helped his case. Pilate was being “informed” by Jewish leaders who sought to crucify Jesus. To do this, they needed the stamp of approval from the Roman Governor, Pilate. Because Pilate was unable to understand the complexities of the Jewish religion and Jesus’ mission and the Jewish view of Biblical Authority, there was no way for Jesus to answer Pilate correctly. Any answer Jesus gave would probably be misunderstood and misused. In response, “Jesus gave no answer” (John 19:9).
You may find yourself in need of answers in your life. These answers could be crucial. However, if you ask God the wrong questions or don’t understand your situation in life, don’t be surprised if you wind up clueless. Even if you ask the right question, God might give you an unexpected answer or an answer you don’t have the spiritual capacity to comprehend. Then, it might seem like God is being evasive or not answering your prayers when in fact, you don’t even understand what is the right question. You may not even know a good answer when you hear one!
If God doesn’t seem to be answering your prayers, seek to ask different questions. Look for ways to communicate with God differently. Open yourself up to new possibilities and other spiritual options. You might be surprised what God is saying when you think God is being silent.
Jesus’ answer to Pilate may seem like no answer. Jesus said nothing. Sometimes, silence is a way for God to answer a question that is wrong or lacking in some way. It certainly was true for Jesus in the scripture for today. Is it also true for you in this moment of your life?
Are you asking the right questions?
Would you be open to the right answers?
Are you even listening to what God is saying or purposefully not saying?