Interviewing God

Imagine you’re a reporter, sitting down at a café with a steaming cup of coffee (or hot chocolate or tea, if you’re like me) and a flakey croissant. You tap your pen against the table, stealing glances over your shoulder toward the front door.

I wonder what He looks like, you think. Is He as big as they say? Will His brilliant light blind me?

God shows up–bigger, brighter, and better than you dreamed. He’s smiling when He sees you, His precious creation.

When we pray, we don’t often treat it like sitting down with God for coffee and having a friendly chat. Often, our prayer lives begin with a laundry list of requests, sometimes with complaints sprinkled in or even the occasional praise.

It shows maturity in faith to ask God questions during our time with Him.

But often, those questions are something like:

• What do you want me to do in ____ situation?
• Can you give me the strength to have patience with ____ person?
• What is your plan for my life?

Those questions are certainly welcomed by God, as they help us surrender to His will. But they are still centered on us. On what we want from God–wisdom, discernment, clarity, answers.

What if, in addition to these sorts of questions, we asked God to reveal His character to us?

Let’s return to our earlier scene. You’re meeting with God, as you would any other person you want to learn more about. What sorts of questions would you ask Him?

If I were interviewing God, here are a few questions I might ask:

• What inspired your creation of dogs?
• Can you feel different temperatures?
• What sorts of colors do you have in Heaven that we don’t have?

You may have a long history with God. That’s wonderful! But every relationship, including our relationships with other people, grow stale when we lose curiosity about one another.

Is there one person in your life who you can never spend too much time with? Perhaps they are your best friend or spouse or an important relative in your life.

Even though you know them intimately, there are still new things you’d like to know about them. You care about their opinion on issues and world events. You desire to know how they feel. You can never get enough of them.

What sorts of questions might you ask God if He were your best friend?

You may not find out what inspired God’s creation of giraffes or what His favorite color is, but perhaps you will get a deeper sense of who He is, which is what really matters.

Partner your time in prayer with reading God’s Word. If there was a book written about your best friend, you’d certainly want to read it!

As you read the Bible with the intention to understand God more, you may even receive the answers to the questions your heart longs for–both about God and about His purpose for you.

This week, I encourage you to invite God into every part of your life. Not just the discerning, big-decisions part. Not just the desperate, pleading part. But into the seemingly mundane, the simple joys and quiet whispers of the heart.

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord.

Jeremiah 29:13-14a (NIV)