May 24, 2023: What Do You See?

"... "Jeremiah, what do you see?" I said, "I see an almond branch." Then the Lord said to me, "You have seen well, for I am watching over my word to perform it." (Jeremiah 1:11–12, ESV)

God seems always to be asking questions. "Jeremiah, what do you see?” “Adam, where are you?” “Moses, what is that in your hand?” To the disciples, “Who do you say I am?" We should not fear when God asks questions of us. Most of the time, He asks questions because He is leading us somewhere or wants us to understand something. Because we know He is good, we know His questions will result in good things.
    
The questions that God asks always serve a purpose. For a God who knows everything, there would be no reason to ask a question if you did not have a purpose. For example, when God asks Adam, "Where are you?" He wants Adam to understand why he is hiding, draw him out of hiding, and reveal His mercy and grace to him.

A good teacher asks questions to help the student in the learning process. They are not to embarrass or put a student down but to lead the student to a place of understanding.

When God asks Jeremiah, "What do you see?" It is out of the context of relationship. Like a good Father, he is teaching His pupil 'seeing' to confirm what was seen. God is forcing Jeremiah to think and encouraging him with words of confirmation.