Can I Ask You Something, Jesus? (Introduction)

“Are you ready? May God come alongside you in the silence, weighty and strong, head bowed next to you with respect, ready to sit for a moment. May you not demand an answer but be content with his presence, listening to his heart of love.”¹

I was on my morning walk when Emily Freeman extended this invitation during her podcast, The Next Right Thing. Spending quiet time with God is not an unusual practice for me, but this time I chose to envision Jesus walking beside me in the silence. Instead of offering my thoughts and words to a loving but invisible presence, I now had this sense of Jesus as an actual (though indistinct) human presence close to me, ready to listen and to speak. My journey suddenly felt more personal, intimate. I felt both deeply honored and deeply humbled that someone so holy and amazing would draw near to me.   

When I have imagined one day seeing Jesus, I picture myself asking him all sorts of questions. But on that morning, as I felt him next to me, loving me, I had no questions, no words at all. We walked on in my uncomfortable and awkward silence as I took in the wonder of his presence. I noticed that even without words, I felt his comfort, peace and friendship touching my soul.

This went on for a mile or so, until I remembered my plan to ask Jesus questions when we meet in eternity. Hey… why not ask Jesus the questions NOW? I decided to designate one day each week to walk with Jesus at my side, keep silent companionship until a question comes to mind, and then ask him “directly”!

My upcoming weekly blog series will include each question I have asked Jesus and the answers- if any- I receive. (I hope to post each Wednesday.)

In this current process of asking and writing (now in my third week), I have found some of the answers to be quite personal, humbling, and revealing, and so I feel some discomfort to share them with you. But I hope they offer you some insights and blessings for your own journeys. I appreciate your prayers for these walks and for these questions. Thank you, dear friends.

¹https://emilypfreeman.com/podcast/the-next-right-thing/58/

(Photo by Karen, taken on a morning walk)