The Power of a Question

A dozen years ago, Daniel and I drove up to Washington to visit my parents. Those visits are always rich with memories, laughter, and stories. But I also know what’s coming when I sit down with my mom.

She’ll lean in, look me straight in the eye, and say, “Son, let’s talk.”

And when she says that, I know exactly what’s next dozens of questions.

That’s just my mother’s way. She digs. She probes. She wants to know the why, not just the what. And if I’m honest, as much as I sometimes brace myself, I need that.

Because questions are powerful.

Have you noticed how much we learn through asking?

   •   You know things I don’t know.

   •   I know things you don’t know.

   •   The only way we exchange wisdom is by asking and answering questions.

Can we be brutally honest? My favorite subject to talk about is me. And your favorite subject is you. That’s human nature.

But here’s the twist: who really leads the conversation the one doing the talking or the one doing the asking?

It’s always the one asking the questions.

Don’t believe me? Watch a late-night talk show. Fallon, Letterman, Leno all they do is fire off questions. And the world tunes in. Because the person asking the questions is steering the entire conversation.

That’s why questions matter so much.

Questions aren’t just a social tool they’re spiritual. In fact, God Himself uses questions all throughout Scripture. There are over 2,530 questions recorded in the Bible.

   •   To Adam and Eve: “Where are you?”

   •   To Abraham: “Is anything too hard for me?”

   •   To Isaiah: “Whom shall I send?”

   •   To Jeremiah: “What do you see?”

   •   To Jonah: “Should I not be concerned about Nineveh?”

   •   To the disciples: “Who do you say that I am?”

God already knew the answers. He wasn’t searching for information He was searching for relationship. He asks questions to draw people in. And He wants us to do the same.

That’s why I love the acronym A.S.K. Always Seeking Knowledge.

We should never stop asking questions. Questions lead to knowledge. Knowledge leads to wisdom. Wisdom leads to transformation.

If questions are so powerful, why don’t we ask them more often? I think it comes down to two things: weakness (or pride) and fear.

1. Weakness Disguised as Pride

Sometimes we don’t ask because we don’t want to look ignorant. We don’t want to admit we don’t know. But often, what we call weakness is really pride.

I once spent time with a British pastor of a small church maybe 25 members. We talked for hours, but not once did he ask me a single question. Contrast that with an American pastor of a 15,000-member church. The entire time we met, he asked me questions one after another, soaking up everything he could.

The difference? One assumed he already knew. The other knew the power of asking.

That reminds me of Gideon. When God called him to deliver Israel, Gideon protested: “How can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest… and I am the least in my family.” (Judges 6:15)

But God’s answer was simple: “I will be with you.” Weakness was no excuse.

2. Fear

The second reason is fear. We’re afraid of the response, afraid of rejection, afraid of looking foolish.

Take Nehemiah. When he stood before King Artaxerxes to ask permission to rebuild Jerusalem’s walls, he admitted, “I was very much afraid.” (Nehemiah 2:2)

But he asked anyway. And the king not only gave him permission he financed the entire project.

Fear almost silenced him. But faith moved him forward.

Think about it:

   •   Gideon questioned his ability. God reminded him of His presence.

   •   Nehemiah feared the king. God used the king’s resources to bless him.

   •   Abraham, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Jonah—all were shaped by God’s questions.

Asking doesn’t make you weak. Asking makes you more like God.

So how do we put this into practice?

Practical Steps

            1.         Be intentional. Don’t just talk about yourself—show genuine interest in others.

            2.         Ask the right people. Surround yourself with wise, godly voices, not fools.

            3.         Push past pride. Admit what you don’t know, and ask anyway.

            4.         Push past fear. Even if it’s uncomfortable, go for the ask.

            5.         Remember A.S.K. Always Seeking Knowledge.

When my mom says, “Son, let’s talk,” I know I’m about to face a barrage of questions. Sometimes they’re hard. Sometimes they make me think. But they always sharpen me.

Maybe that’s not such a bad model for all of us. Because when we ask questions, we’re not just gathering information we’re building relationship, gaining wisdom, and aligning ourselves with the God who asks questions too.

So don’t let weakness stop you. Don’t let fear silence you.

Step up. Lean in. And start asking.

Because the one asking the questions isn’t just curious they’re leading the way.