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Never, ever, ask a question you don't know the answer to.
Experienced lawyers follow that simple rule in court. In my first trial, a dispute about a painting job, I learned why. One witness was a paint store employee. With carefully crafted questions, the contractor's attorney led him through a description of the paint and how it had been used. Then it was my turn.
"What do you do at the store?" "I make sure we are stocked with paint and supplies." "Are you a salesman?" "No, sir." "Do you interact with customers?" "No." "Ever advise contractors?" "No." "Do you know anything about this case?" "No." "Are your duties restricted to the stockroom?" "Yes."
All this I knew. The contractor was trying to use a stockroom boy as a paint expert. I have you now, I thought. But I asked one more question. "So you have no special training in paint and its applications, do you?" What followed was a description of the SIX WEEKS training his company had provided, all expenses paid, at their national state-of-the-art facilities. Crud. I'd violated the rule.
In a courtroom, the rule is not to avoid being surprised (which I was), suffering embarrassment (which I did), or ruining the case (which, thank God, I did not). It's about control---controlling the story as told by a witness and heard by the jury. Control is critical. The one who controls the story, wins the case.
Control is also an important issue in our relationship with God. But instead of exercising control, we are called to do something against our nature, something that frightens us, that creates an enormous struggle. We are told to give up control.
The day we first believed in Jesus, our world changed. We are no longer our own. (see 1 Corinthians 6:19) We have confessed Christ is Lord and tell our Heavenly Father we will follow Him alone. And yet, deep within our hearts, we continue to struggle for control of our lives.
Even Moses, who faced Pharaoh and led the Israelites out of Egypt, struggled. He seized control when he murdered an Egyptian. He sought control when he argued with God at the burning bush. He desired control when he disregarded God's instructions and then claimed he had brought water from the rock at Kadesh. Giving up control can be very, very difficult.
Suppose you're at a clinic. A door opens. In walks a man you recognize. He calls your name and tells you to come with him. He takes you through the doorway, then goes on ahead down a long hallway. Rooms line either side. You don't know where he's taking you. But you do know that he's your doctor and will take care of you. Giving up control, you follow where he leads.
Jesus told a similar story, except with a shepherd and sheep. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. (John 10:3b-4)
It's all quite simple. If we do not give up control, we cannot follow. There can be only one leader---one in control---just as there is only one way, one truth, and one life to which we have been called. Jesus is our leader. We can trust Him. He will take care of us. We can give up control and follow Him.
And we can ask the question we don't know the answer to...What would you have me do today? | 
