The Inquiry

“ ‘If it is so, why then am I this way?’ So she went to inquire of the Lord. The Lord said to her ‘ Two nations are in your womb; and two peoples will be separated from your body; and one people shall be the stronger than the others; and the older will serve the younger.’ “ Genesis 25:22-23

“It is a sin to ask God, ‘Why?’” I have heard this statement for years, but this passage of Scripture challenges the validity of it. Apparently there is no sin in asking God a question. The sin must be in the spirit in which the question is framed.

When a concerned mother came to her Lord for a sense of direction regarding the health of her children, He responded with an explanation. He always does.

On both occasions when Dana was carrying our two daughters, she spent a great deal of time reading them the Scriptures and singing songs of praise to them. Long before they were born she was leading them to inquire of The Lord for their sense of direction.

When our first-born came into the world, a dear friend looked over my shoulder at our precious newborn daughter and said, “She is a little blank slate and you can write on her anything that you want.” I almost passed out at the very sound of such a profound statement.

Little ones carried by Rebekah had a God-designed, and God-given plan for their lives, long before they came into the world. She was a wise mother indeed to seek the counsel of The Lord. It is always wise to pray. Prayer puts you on the same page with what God had written on the hearts of your children.

In The School of Prayer, it never hurts to ask. You aren’t learning if you are talking, but you begin to learn if you start asking the right questions. Humbly bringing an inquiry to The Father in prayer is not a sign of a rebellious child. It reveals a teachable spirit.

Rebekah brought her inquiry to the only source for the right answer. Talking about her question with other people would have only increased her anxiety over the answer. Praying about it released her fear into God’s hands. It opened her hands to receive His answer. Prayer always does.

One of Rebekah’s descendants, King David, followed a similar pattern. His life was marked by, “And David inquired of The Lord.” It is mentioned over and over again in 1 & 2 Samuel. When David inquired of The Lord, he received a clear sense of direction, and the courage to complete the task at hand.

From the killing of a bear, to the slaying of Goliath, to the conquest of his enemies on the battlefield, David received power for the hour. The danger emerged in his life when David allowed a time lapse between the responsibilities he bore and his humility before God. When David stopped inquiring of God, he started straying from God. Can anyone say, Bathsheba?

NOTE TO SELF: The lesson you are to learn from Rebekah, an expectant mother, and David, a prideful King, is this. NEVER STOP INQUIRING OF THE LORD. When you don’t know the answer to your question, inquire of God. When you think you know all the answers, inquire of God. When you are prayerless, you are clueless. Get a clue. TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!