Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“When the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, (fame due to the name of the Lord), she came to test him with hard questions.”
NL Daily Devotion for Thursday, November 3, 2022
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
We should expect hard questions. I’ve gotten them from my kids, from Sunday school and confirmation kids, from all kinds of adults in my life. Why? Because I’m open about my beliefs. With appropriate humility (I think) I’m confident in my beliefs. I’m not famous like Solomon, but I’m known within my own little circles as someone who is more than willing to talk about faith and God and the church and so forth, so people come to me with hard questions. Not so much to test me, as the Queen of Sheba supposedly did, but with real curiosity, honest skepticism, and their own experience. And maybe that’s what the Queen of Sheba was really doing. She really just wanted to know what it was that Solomon believed, how it was that his wisdom was so renowned.
I’m honest with anyone I talk to. I don’t know all the answers. I don’t even know most of them. I’m just a seeker, an explorer, a wonderer, like they are. My seminary degree hardly qualifies me to speak on behalf of God. But my willingness to engage, to answer what factual questions I can, and to be vulnerable about my own doubts and questions makes for fruitful discussions that in some cases might address the other person’s wondering, but in almost all cases helps clarify and strengthen my own faith. So I welcome all the Queen of Sheba’s in my life, young and old, and am grateful for their hard questions.
When has someone had hard questions for me about my faith? How did I respond?
