God Speaks Encouragement to Our Questions

Cross on a hill with sunrise covered by clouds

Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.

Have you ever felt silly for asking a question? I have. I remember asking a question in a graduate level class. While the professor answered my question, I could tell that she thought the answer was obvious. I felt so embarrassed. It took quite a while for me to feel comfortable asking another question in that class.

Sometimes I feel the same way about asking God questions. I wonder if my questions matter to Him. Perhaps He’ll chastise me if the answers are “obvious.” Or maybe He won’t answer my questions at all. When I have these feelings I often remember Jeremiah 33:3 which says, “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” What an incredible promise! Yet, what makes this promise even more assuring is the circumstance surrounding Jeremiah and the people of Israel at the time God made the promise.

God Speaks to Encourage Us

During this time, the Israelites were under siege by the Babylonian empire. God had spoken through the prophet Jeremiah of the success of the siege and the coming captivity of the Israeli people as part of God’s judgement against them for their sinful behavior and unfaithful attitude towards Him. Despite these circumstances, God speaks a word of hope and encouragement through Jeremiah (Jeremiah 33:6-9). He invites the Israelites back into a loving relationship with Him with promises of future joy, peace, and protection. While God could certainly have spoken harshly to the Israelites or refused to speak to them at all, He chose to speak words of comfort and healing.

Maybe you have a “silly” question to ask God today. Or maybe you’re hesitant to go to God in prayer because you’re not where you’d hope you’d be in your relationship with Him. The Bible promises that we can bring our questions to Him in faith and listen for Him to speak with wisdom and love.