A Curious Pilgrim Reflection on Psalm 88, 1 Samuel 3:1-21, Acts 2:37-47, and Luke 21:5-19
One of the things I love about Scripture is that it is filled with questions. The Bible is not merely a collection of answers handed down from heaven. It is the story of people wrestling with life, faith, suffering, hope, and the mystery of God.
As I reflected on today’s Daily Office readings, I noticed that each passage contains a question. They are not trivial questions. They are the kinds of questions that rise from the depths of the human heart. They are the same questions we still ask today.
The psalmist cries out, “Lord, why have you rejected me?”
Eli asks Samuel, “What is it that he told you?”
The crowd asks Peter, “What should we do?”
The disciples ask Jesus, “When will this be, and what will be the sign?”
Four questions. Four situations. Four glimpses into the human condition.
“Lord, Why Have You Rejected Me?”
Psalm 88 is one of the darkest prayers in Scripture. The psalmist feels abandoned by God, surrounded by trouble, and overwhelmed by despair. Unlike many psalms, there is no triumphant ending. No resolution. No declaration of victory.
Just honest pain.
Most of us have prayed some version of this prayer.
We may not use the exact words, but we have wondered where God is when illness strikes, relationships break apart, dreams die, or loneliness settles over our lives. We have all had moments when heaven seemed silent.
What comforts me is that God preserved this prayer in Scripture. God did not censor the psalmist’s anguish. The psalm reminds us that faith is not pretending everything is fine. Faith includes bringing our deepest hurts into God’s presence.
Sometimes prayer is not a declaration of certainty. Sometimes prayer is simply refusing to let go of God in the darkness.
“What Is It That He Told You?”
In 1 Samuel, the young Samuel hears God’s voice during the night. Eli, the aging priest, realizes that God is speaking and instructs Samuel to listen.
When Samuel receives a difficult message concerning Eli’s household, Eli asks, “What is it that he told you?”
This is the question of discernment.
What is God saying?
We live in a world overflowing with noise. News headlines, social media, political arguments, advertisements, and endless opinions compete for our attention. Learning to hear God’s voice may be more difficult today than ever before.
Yet God’s voice still comes.
Sometimes through Scripture.
Sometimes through prayer.
Sometimes through wise friends.
Sometimes through unexpected circumstances.
The challenge is not that God has stopped speaking. The challenge is whether we are listening.
And like Samuel, we may discover that God’s word is not always comfortable. Sometimes God’s truth challenges us before it comforts us.
“What Should We Do?”
After Peter’s sermon on the Day of Pentecost, the crowd is deeply convicted. Luke tells us they were “cut to the heart.”
Their response is simple and direct:
“What should we do?”
This may be the most important question in today’s readings.
It is one thing to hear God’s word. It is another thing to respond to it.
Peter does not offer a complicated answer. He calls them to repentance, baptism, and openness to the Holy Spirit. Then we see the birth of a community devoted to teaching, fellowship, prayer, generosity, and worship.
The Christian life is not merely about acquiring information. It is about transformation.
The goal of faith is not simply to know more about God. The goal is to become people who reflect the love, mercy, and compassion of God in the world.
Every encounter with God eventually leads to this question:
“What should I do now?”
“When Will This Be?”
The disciples stand in awe of the magnificent Temple and ask Jesus about the future.
“When will this be? What will be the sign?”
It is a question humanity has never stopped asking.
We want certainty.
We want timelines.
We want to know what comes next.
Will things get better?
When will suffering end?
When will justice come?
When will Christ return?
Jesus offers something surprising. He does not satisfy their curiosity with detailed predictions. Instead, He teaches them how to live.
Do not be deceived.
Do not be afraid.
Persevere.
Bear witness.
In other words, Jesus shifts their focus away from predicting the future and toward faithful living in the present.
The future belongs to God.
Our calling is faithfulness today.
The Questions That Shape Our Journey
As I sat with these readings, I realized they capture four questions every pilgrim asks along the journey of faith:
Why am I suffering?
What is God saying?
What should I do?
What does the future hold?
The beautiful truth is that God does not reject these questions.
The psalmist is allowed to lament.
Samuel is invited to listen.
The crowd is shown a new way of life.
The disciples are encouraged to trust.
God meets people in their questions.
Perhaps that is the deepest lesson of today’s readings. Faith is not having all the answers. Faith is trusting that God walks with us while we search for them.
As Curious Pilgrims, we continue asking questions. We wrestle with uncertainty. We seek wisdom. We long for understanding.
And through it all, God gently reminds us that the goal is not to possess every answer.
The goal is to walk faithfully with the One who does.
Grace and peace,
William
The Curious Pilgrim 
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