I've got questions (and now so do you) - pt. 1

I am always on the lookout for questions or prompts for use in journaling or discussion groups. In fact, it's probably the most talked-about topic between me and a friend I've met with almost every week since 1999.

He recently brought to my attention these three questions highlighted by Ben Sternke in his March 20, 2025 Substack on "How God Does (and Doesn't) Speak To Us Through the Bible." I'm not exactly sure if this comes from Ben, or from Rowan Williams' book 'Being Christian' (which he's using as a resource). At any rate, these are the questions:

As we read the Bible, we must always come back to these questions:

• What does God want to tell us?
• Where are we in this story?
• How can we respond to what we sense God is saying?

  

Imho, these are perfect whether you're doing personal study and want a prompt for journaling, or in a group study like The Discovery Bible Study (which I/we have used in several various forms). 

I do also appreciate what Ben/Rowan say just prior to the above quoted piece:

"...the Bible is not just a story, it's our story. It's not purely imaginary, like a fable or a parable, but real stories of a people that began with Noah and Abraham and Moses. And now we as Gentiles have been grafted into that story.

Now, does that mean everything recorded in the Bible is 100% 'accurate' history? No. And it's actually the wrong question. The Book of Daniel, for example, wasn't written to give us an exact, detailed accounting of ancient Babylonian history. It was written to 'show us how people in circumstances of acute displacement, living with the fear and the anxiety of a persecuted minority, responded to a hostile state and a pagan power.' ... '...the Bible is not a chronicle of past events, but a living communication from God...'"  

So, again, say you want to read the Bible devotionally... whether you read a chapter a day, or however much, if it's just you, substitute "me/I" in the above questions for "us/we"... and you've got some great prompts to use in a journal, or merely just to ponder (though I really, really, really recommend using a written paper journal).

Or, say you want to start, or are already involved in a small group study... Again, have someone read a section of the Bible, and then use these questions to generate discussion. The DBS is a great resource for this for a number of reasons (which you can find on their site).