WHY GOD? WHY?

I have several young friends - in their late 20’s or early 30’s - that have been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. They’re all good people… I mean, they haven’t done anything to deserve this devastating diagnosis. Especially at so young an age.

I know families that are struggling to barely survive… living from hand to mouth, doing all the “right” things, but never getting ahead, or feeling like they’re ever gonna get even close to being on solid ground. Literally one paycheck away from losing everything. Month after month after month.

I know families in heartbreaking custody battles where it seems like the best outcome should be this… but the courts instead rule in favor of that.

And then there are people we see making hurtful, selfish, destructive choices, who seem to be not only “doing just fine,” but actually prospering!

ARGH!!!

I find myself asking, “Why God? Why??? I just don’t understand…” It can sometimes feel hopeless!

And let me be the first to say that telling someone going through miserable things that “everything’s gonna be alright,” and/or they “just need to have faith” is NOT what they need to hear. We do not (and CAN not,) “have faith” that things are going to turn out the way we want them to… because frankly, sometimes they don’t.

And so…

I look to the Word and I see, I’m not alone in this… that it’s not only okay for us to feel this way, but it’s also okay for us to cry out to God with our heartaches and frustrations. The book of Psalms is filled with these same types of laments.

But…

There is hope. Most of the Psalms of lament use that word… BUT. Oftentimes the pattern is, “Life really stinks right now, BUT God…”

But God is stronger than my enemies.

But God is compassionate and loving.

But God WILL help me.

But God WILL make all things right. Eventually.

And there are tons of stories throughout the Bible with similar themes, one of my favorite being Joseph. This story is found in Genesis 37 - 50, so here’s a SUPER brief recap…

Joseph is the favorite son who hasn’t quite figured out how to keep his mouth shut and not brag about it to his older brothers, so they decide to kill him. Luckily, one of them talks the others out of it, soooo they sell him into slavery instead.

As a slave in Egypt, Joseph works hard and follows God, but he’s wrongly accused of sexually assaulting his master’s wife and is thrown into prison. For years. He works hard and follows God in prison and finally one of his cellmates gets out and promises to tell the Pharaoh about Joseph’s awesome gift of interpreting dreams.

The guy immediately forgets, and Joseph is left in prison for a couple MORE years before his old cellmate FINALLY remembers him. Joseph gets out, interprets Pharaoh’s dreams and ends up becoming 2nd in command for ALL of Egypt.

Years later there’s a widespread famine and his brothers come to Egypt looking for food. They don’t recognize Joseph, (though he recognizes THEM!) and when all is said and done they think he’s gonna kill them all because of what they did to him so many years ago. Instead he says one of my favorite lines in the Bible, “…you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to keep many people alive.”

This gets me EVERY time! Joseph goes through nearly 20 years of hell, but sees God’s hand in all of it, working it all out for good to help “many people.”

Another great story like this is the story of Job… but in this story, Job never get’s to understand WHY all the tragic things happened to him. (He literally lost everything AND was inflicted with painful oozing sores all over his body, AND his “friends” tell him it’s his own stinkin’ fault!) He cries out to God over and over and over again, DEMANDING to know WHY all this happened because he KNOWS he didn’t deserve it. (The Bible even says he didn’t deserve it!)

Finally, in chapter 38, God shows up and basically tells Job to put on his big boy pants because GOD is going to DEMAND an answer from HIM now! Then, (for 4 long chapters full of dense Hebrew poetry!) God proceeds to show Job how there is absolutely NO WAY he could POSSIBLY understand WHY God has allowed all these things to happen… because he’s. Not. God.

Period.

God NEVER explains WHY… to Job OR to us! But, we have the ability to look back over the millennia and see how “many people” have been helped by this story as well.

Job humbles himself and acknowledges that God is God, and we are not. And that’s okay. (Personally, I NEED a God bigger than what my little brain can figure out!)

Sometimes (oftentimes!) we don’t understand what is happening.

We don’t understand why it’s happening.

We can’t see how ANY of this could EVER be used for good!

But GOD does.

And THAT is what we have faith in.

THAT is what we cling to in times like these.

We have faith in God… not that He’s gonna explain things or fix things or make things turn out the way WE think they ought to. We have faith in Him. That He loves us. (Jeremiah 31:3) (Even when it doesn’t SEEM like it - like in Job or Joseph’s case!) And that His ways are higher than our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9) and that He WILL work it all out for good. (Romans 8:28)

Eventually. (Revelation 21:3-4)

And even if God doesn’t explain things or fix things or make things turn out the way WE think they ought to… He is still God.

And He is still good.

And He still loves us way more than we could possibly understand.

Always.

And so, like Job, we pray, “Lord… Father… there is no way we can understand WHY… there is no way we can comprehend Your thoughts or intentions… and so, we silence ourselves before You. We humble ourselves before You. And we pray that You would forgive our lack of faith in You. Please help us with our unbelief. Help us to rest in You. Always.”

In Jesus’ name.

Amen.

SCRIPTURES

Jeremiah 31:3 ~ “…I have loved you with a love that lasts forever. And so with unfailing love, I have drawn you to myself.” (CEB)

Isaiah 55:8-9 ~ “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (NIV)

Daniel 3:17-18 ~ “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.” (NLT) (emphasis mine)

Romans 8:28 ~ “And we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” (ESV)

Revelation 21:3-4 ~ “…God is among the people, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” (NASB)