Have you ever considered the purpose of a question? If asked on the street, most people would say the purpose of a question is to get an answer. But, is this a benefitable purpose? Maybe, if you are asking for directions, it is. Even in this scenario, you are receiving more than an answer. You are receiving valuable information directing your path. Think on this: when you ask for directions, you receive more than an answer – more than words. You receive a mental picture of what lies ahead. You receive intelligence that will lead you to a desired objective. This, in part, is the art of the question.

Let me ask this question: Is it not shallow and superficial of us to assume the only reason to ask a question is to get an answer? God gave us the beauty of the question for much more than simply to get an answer, as illustrated in the example above. The purpose of a question cannot be explained in one short definition. The purpose of the question is to unlock the mysteries of the mind, heart, soul, and will of every person in this world. The question is a beautiful God-given masterpiece. It is a palette of amazing colors for painting works of genius in the lives of those with whom we interact.

In Teaching That Bears Fruit, my first book, chapter four is titled The Art of The Question. When you ardently study the question, you learn that the question truly is a beautiful art form. Using properly formulated questions with correct timing you have the power to change someone’s life. All through the power of questions. With each question, you are providing the paint with which your others will be applying each stroke of the brush onto the masterpiece of his and her life. This is the fulfillment of properly deploying great questions.

Excerpted from chapter eight of COACHING: A Way of Leadership, A Way of Life.

George Yates is a church health strategist and coach assisting individuals, churches, and other organizations in fulfilling their God-given purpose.