Look for Questions

One morning, I read this:

Don't start looking in the Bible for the answers it gives. Start by listening to the questions it asks. (Frederick Buechner, Wishful Thinking)

And you can take heart that I am on the R chapter, and soon to finish this book and move onto another one - there just can't be that many more posts inspired by this great little book.

That statement stopped me. Think about it for a minute. Do you think it's good spiritual advice.

We want answers. We already have questions. Have do I live my life? What is right and what is wrong? Can I judge the actions of the person next to me? In the next town? In the next country? Does God support what I'm doing? What is my purpose? What is my call? 

I don't really want a book that just asks more questions. But think about the questions the Bible asks:

Who is my neighbor?

What is the greatest commandment?

Am I my brother's keeper?

What is truth?

Why is this horrible thing happening to me?

If we take the questions from the Bible and pray about them, it becomes a living book as God speaks into our lives. It's harder to do, it doesn't give us easy answers that we can use to beat each other up. But it does offer us the grace of sanctification.