Zechariah 1:12 Then the angel of the Lord said, “Lord Almighty, how long will you withhold mercy from Jerusalem and from the towns of Judah, which you have been angry with these seventy years?”

I find this verse interesting because I think it shows us two things. The first is that angels don’t know everything. It seems like angels go through cycles of popularity, and even Paul and the writer of Hebrews had to caution against the worship of angels. But, however you look at it, angels are created beings, and are neither omniscient nor omnipotent. The second thing I see is that it’s not wrong to ask God questions. Sometimes it’s something we don’t need to know, or even something we’re better off not knowing, but the more in line with Him we get, the more likely He is to tell us what we want to know. The important thing is to let Him be God and not try to dictate whether He will answer, much less what that answer will be. Jesus told us to be like little children. (Mark 10:15) Children are often full of questions, but they also tend to trust the answers they are given. That’s why I think it’s important never to lie to children, because doing so sets them up not to trust God in the future. The important thing for us is to keep pressing in closer to God on all levels. I certainly don’t take John Denver as a spiritual authority, but the song, Rocky Mountain High, has an interesting line: “Talk to God and listen to the casual reply.” “Casual” isn’t the best word for it, but we should aim to be that close to God.

I’m grateful that to my knowledge my parents never lied to me. We celebrated Christmas, certainly, but the whole Santa thing was presented to us as a fun story. As a result, we knew that every present came from someone, and we were expected to express appreciation to that person. At Christmas during my first visit to the US, when I was four, my parents told me that “Faddy” (my paternal grandfather in Arkansas) would “be Santa” that year. Consequently, when they took me to see a department store Santa in Kentucky, I sat on his lap, looked up at him and said, “Hi, Faddy.” (We still have a picture of me with that Santa.) We sometimes have similar difficulties straightening out the things God tells us, but as long as we remember that He’s God and we’re not, being at peace with uncertainties, it’s not bad to ask. Sometimes He surprises us with how much He tells us! As a pastor, people often ask me questions that they’re really asking God. I’ve got to be willing for Him to answer them through me, but I’ve got to be very careful I don’t answer on my own and claim, or even think, it’s God. I must never hesitate to say that I don’t know, but I am also to be as familiar with the Bible as possible so as to avoid unnecessary ignorance. I am to remember and teach that God doesn’t keep us in the dark to spite us, but we have to trust Him in order to recognize His answers.

Father, thank You for Your gracious faithfulness to speak to me morning by morning through Your Word. Thank You for the many other ways You speak as well. Help me listen better and better, and help me communicate what You are saying to those who need to hear it. Help me never think it’s just for them, either, but rather apply Your truth fully in my own life, to be the child You desire, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!