Good Questions - Psa 20:1
June 12, 2022
Questions to ponder:
1. Which orange came first… the color or the fruit?
2. Do stairs go up or down?
3. Why does lemon juice have artificial flavor, but dish soap has real lemons?
4. When you know the battery is dead… do you press harder on the remote control?
5. Which side of the armrest is really yours at a movie theater?
6. Why isn’t 11 pronounced tenty-one?
7. How would you handcuff a one-armed man?
8. Why does rain drop, but snow falls?
9. Did you fail or succeed if you were trying to fail, but succeeded?
10. Would you be friends with a clone of yourself?
Kids ask an average of 40,000 questions between ages 2-5. —Warren Berger
On average, 4-year-olds ask 93 questions a day… in about 14 hours. —Dr. Sam Wass
Toddlers can ask between 100-300 questions a day. —First Cry Parenting
Children ask roughly 125 questions a day. Adults ask only 6. —Ralph B Smith
could it be we don’t ask enough questions… maybe because we think we already know answer… key is asking good questions, not bad ones… pray…
1Cor 8:2… “if anyone thinks they know anything… don’t know it as they ought…”
good questions promote love and confidence… bad promote doubt and distrust… questions matter… never get right answer if we ask wrong question…
God, why do all these bad things keep happening to me?
God, what good are you going to bring out of this bad situation?
not too much of a stretch to say I’m thankful to be here… six inches lower and I might be six feet in the ground…
Psa 20:1… “in times of trouble, the Lord will answer… His name keep you safe…”
Psa 57:1… “I’ll take refuge in shadow of your wings until disaster has passed…”
Psa 91… “those who live in shelter of Most High… shadow of Almighty…”
Psa 138:7… “though I walk in trouble… You preserve my life… You save me…”
God, why is my car all smashed up… couldn’t you have stopped that?
God, who am I and what is my family that you have brought me this far?
as you know… AL roof was torn off as well… rain didn’t drop into sanctuary, it poured (Sam, Sarah, Haley, Joe, Bob, Ryan)… could have asked bad questions… better to ask good questions that point us to a good God (roof/carpet insurance money)…
Psa 121… “where does my help come from… it comes from the Lord…”
Rom 8:28… “all things work together for the good of those who love God…”
God, why didn’t you protect our church? Why did it have to rain again so soon?
God, how are you going to rescue, deliver, save, and provide for us in the midst of all this?
awhile back… friend was let go from his job of 20 years… been there, done that… it’s devastating… especially to someone supporting a family… what questions can we ask when something like that happens… good ones that focus on Jesus…
Matt 6:24-35… “don’t worry about your life… what you will eat, drink, wear.. can you add one moment to your life by worrying… if God feeds the birds and clothes the wildflowers… won’t He do much more for you… seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness… and all these things will be provided for you…”
God, how am I going to support my family? How am I going to feed, clothe, and house them?
God, how are you going to save me in this situation?
rest of story… for first time in his life… God spoke audibly to my friend (do you believe I am who I say I am)… within days he had another offer and is now in a much better position… why, because he asked right questions about goodness of God…
Exo 33:18-19… “let me see your glory… make all my goodness pass before you…”
Mark 9:22-24… “if you can, help us… if I can, everything is possible for the one who believes… immediately, the father cried, I do believe, help my unbelief…”
good questions lead us good places… look at questions Jesus asked… He pointed people back to Himself… to His perfection… not our imperfection…
Matt 22:42… “what do you think about the Christ… whose Son is He…”
Mark 8:59… “who do you say I am…”
Mark 10:51… “what do you want Me to do for you…”
a good spiritual question leads us to a deeper understanding of God’s grace, goodness, and love… never, ever leads to gsc, worry, fear, doubt (skin issue)…
Psa 139:7… “where can I go from Your Spirit… where can I flee from Your presence…”
Rom 7:24… “who will rescue me from this body of death…”
Rom 8:35… “who can separate us from the love of Christ…”
Heb 13:6… “the Lord is my helper… what can man do to me…”
God, my mom died of skin cancer… I’m fearful I may have it too… am I going to die?
God, how are you going to heal me from this disease?
faith and fear both work… both will deliver exactly what you expect…
Job 3:25… “what I feared has happened… what I dreaded has come true…”
Mark 5:34… “faith has saved you… go in peace… be healed from your affliction…”
bad questions don’t make you think… they make you doubt… they replace faith with fear… distract you… ask questions that point to what Jesus has done…
Gen 3:1… “did God really say…”
Job 4:6… “is not your piety and integrity your hope and confidence…”
Prov 3… “trust in God… not your own understanding… this will bring healing…”
Jer 17:5-8… “cursed are those who trust in man… blessed are those who trust in God…”
Matt 4:1-11… “if you are the Son of God (more than that, Beloved Son of God)…”
John 6:30 (Matt 16)… “what sign will you do so we may see and believe…”
2Cor 10:3-5… “take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ…”
doubt may never fully leave us… but it should never define us… faith should… don’t be so certain of uncertainty that you reject truth… let Word guide life, not world… build house on solid foundation… survive storms… pray…
Psa 119… “hope thru your Word… lamp to my feet… light to my path… it is life…”
2Tim 3:16… “all scripture is useful… teach, rebuke, correct, train…”
Heb 11:1… “faith is being certain of what we hope for… proof of not seen…”