Ask

He was standing among the myrtle trees in a ravine. Behind him were red, brown and white horses. I asked, “What are these, my lord?” (Zechariah 1:8-9)

Well that would be my reaction too - or would it? I wonder how often we don't ask the Lord to explain. We hear a sermon that makes us think and instead of going, 'What are you saying Lord?' we sit inside our own heads hoping that we are clever enough to make sense of it. Or we have an encounter that unsettles us in some way - hear something on the news, meet someone unexpected - and instead of going, 'What are you doing Lord?' we try to calm our nerves in another way, with a cup of tea or a glass of wine. And, of course, there are dreams, or visions, or pictures, or verses - the bits of our encounter with God that seem more obviously to need explanation - how often even then do we put it down to a bad curry, or a late night or an coincidence and not ask, 'What are these, my Lord?'

So, next time, ask. That's all I'm suggesting. Just ask. I am not promising an answer quite as clear as Zechariah's but Jesus did say, 'Ask and you will receive' so maybe it is just worth trying.