Primary Questions and Secondary Questions

Questions. They rattle through our heads like a string of cans tied to a scared dog’s tail, bouncing, crashing, skipping around erratically. The more noise they make the faster our mind goes. . .
What questions do you ask?
Will I have enough money in 2011 to pay my debts from 2010? Where should I go to college? Will that business deal come through this week? Will that person ever like me? What am I going to do with this medical situation?
For me right now, its
Will we have enough money? Is our house going to sell? Will we move to Croatia in time for summer ministry?
Questions. I wonder what questions you and I ask. And I wonder how those questions control our stress levels, our faith level, and, ultimately, our actions. What questions do you ask?

In Numbers 13, Moses sends a group of 12 guys into “The Promised Land”. When sending them, he asks some questions:
See what the land is like and whether the people who live there are strong or weak, few or many. What kind of land do they live in? Is it good or bad? What kind of towns do they live in? Are they unwalled or fortified? How is the soil? Is it fertile or poor? Are there trees on it or not? (v.18-20)

Now, I have no idea whether Moses was following the Holy Spirit or not, (and, of course, I trust the sovereignty of God), but you probably know the ‘result’ of these questions. The 12 guys come back and give an accurate report:
We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there. . . . We can't attack those people; they are stronger than we are. . . . The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size. . . . We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them. (v.27-33)

You know the rest of the story. The Israelites packed their bags to head ‘home’ to Egypt. God had miraculously led them out of Egypt. He had parted the Red Sea. He had provided for their every need. Here they were, sitting on the edge of “The Promised Land” (the title should have provided a hint!), and they wouldn’t go in. All because they asked (and answered) the wrong questions. What questions do you ask?

God was the one who had sent the men into the land: The LORD said to Moses, “Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites.” (v.1) But, He had already answered THE question. THE question should have been, Lord, do you want us to go? THE question should have been, God, will you be with us? And God had already answered that question.

It comes down to primary questions and secondary questions. For me, our finances, our house, and our timing are all secondary questions. God already answered the primary question when He called us to Croatia with absolute clarity. What are the secondary questions that rule your life? What are the primary questions that God has already answered? What questions do you ask? And what do those questions reveal about your heart?