Jesus asked more than 300 questions in the Gospels (even though he already knew the answers). Shouldn’t we take note and follow his lead?
For Jesus, questions weren’t about information; they were about transformation. He asked and welcomed questions because he knew we need to process certain aspects of faith, commitment, and clarity. Developing a holy curiosity and asking questions can help open doors to deeper connections and discovery.
Asking question doesn’t come naturally. It’s not easy to take the emphasis off our own lives and focus our interest on others because:
- We like to talk.
- We like to give answers instead of discovering them through questions.
- We don’t want to take the time to ask questions and wait for answers.
- We aren’t in the habit of asking questions.
Benefits of Questions
Asking more questions unlocks amazing things. We begin:
- Connecting more with others and building a sense of belonging.
- Learning more about ourselves through the experiences and perspectives of others.
- Building friendships and discovering opportunities.
- Having an incredible impact on other people’s confidence by taking an interest in them.
Asking questions of children and especially teenagers is one of the best ways to help them develop and grow. Asking questions of teenagers and adults helps them to process, which is one of the best ways to learn.
My wife is a master question-asker. We spend a lot of time working with college students and twenty-somethings who serve in our ministry. Everyone gravitates toward her because she provides an open opportunity to talk, share, and respond to her questions. I’m grateful for her ability, for her insights from those conversations, and for what I’ve learned by following her example.
When we ask questions with a goal to help people discover how God is working in their lives, we can all keep growing in faith and following Jesus.
How to Ask More Questions
Instead of:
- Immediately sharing advice.
- Jumping in with your own story or experience.
- Trying to one up another person with a bigger story.
- Trying to fix a problem.
Try:
- Asking a question and truly listening.
- Following up with another question to take the conversation deeper.
- Asking more open-ended questions (beginning with Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How) to prevent superficial answers.
Questions and Jesus
We can also ask questions of Jesus through prayer, studying his word, and discovery. At the same time, we can answer his questions:
- “What do you want me to do for you?”
- “Will you pick up your cross and follow me?”
- “Who do you say I am?”
Questions are powerful. Let’s ask more questions, listen more, and be ready to see God move.
*Some of these thoughts came through an outline for a seminar I presented during the Fire-Up Conference.
