AN INVITATION
I'm told that that there are exactly 5467 Promises in the Bible, but some say there are as many as 8,000! Whoever is right, one thing is certain-the Bible is a Book full of Promises. I was thinking about this when I stumbled on Sir Francis Bacon's claim that, "Who questions much shall learn much and retain much", and that made me think. Perhaps the Bible is also a book full of Questions from which I can learn. So, I started to count the questions in the Bible but I soon gave up because there were so many more than I could manage.
I began to realise that there is something very special about questions. They have an inbuilt immortality all of their own. Originally, they may be asked of one person in one situation, but that is not their end. They can resurrect and adapt themselves to challenge later generations, so the questions in the Bible must be worth asking afresh.
I'm going to follow Bertrand Russell's advice and, 'hang question marks on things that I have long taken for granted", because questions can put new life into old themes. They are like doors through which I pass into all manner of rooms. Some rooms contain blinding truths, some offer less obvious insights and some only more questions, but all are valuable.
So, I am inviting you to join me for a different kind of Bible Quiz but not a terrifying Bible Trivia teaser of Bible texts. I'm simply going to ask myself forty questions drawn from different parts of the Bible and see what happens.
The number forty is for those who may want to use this book for their Lenten meditations but you don't have to use it that way. Simply read my responses and let your own mind travel over the same ground. Your insights may be very different from mine - but that is excellent. Just let God speak to you.
So please 'put on your own thinking caps', say your prayers and join me.
In fellowship,
David