Afraid to Ask

Reflect and pray

Mark gives us a detail that is painfully human. After Jesus spoke of his death, the disciples did not understand the saying, and they were afraid to ask him. Think about that for a moment. These were men who had left everything to follow Jesus. They had seen him transfigured, heard the Father's voice from the cloud, and felt his hand lift them up when they were terrified. Yet when the conversation turned to the cross, they went silent. Fear of looking foolish, fear of the answer, fear of what understanding might cost them. We know that silence well. We read hard promises in Scripture and pretend we are fine. We sense the Holy Spirit prompting us toward surrender and we change the subject. We carry confusion about suffering, about loss, about why God allows what he allows, and we bury it because we think faith means having all the answers. But silence born of fear never heals confusion; it only lets it ferment into anxiety. The disciples' distress in Matthew grew partly because they would not voice their questions. They sat with their dread instead of bringing it to the one who had already told them to rise and have no fear. Perhaps you are carrying a question today that you are scared to ask God. Maybe it is about a pain that makes no sense, or a future that looks dark, or a promise that feels empty. The Lord who welcomed children, touched lepers, and stopped for beggars is not angered by honest confusion. He invites us to speak, to wrestle, to seek. Understanding may not come all at once. The disciples would not grasp the cross until after the resurrection. But asking opens the door for the Spirit to whisper peace into the chaos. Do not let fear rob you of the comfort that comes from being known. Bring your questions into the light. He can handle them, and he longs to meet you in the asking.