Why?

Why?

“I am the LORD, and there is no other.

I create the light and make the darkness.

I send good times and bad times,

I, the LORD, am the one who does these things.”

Isaiah 45:6-7 (NLT)

          His outburst could be heard clear across the house.

          “Why? Why me?”

          I hurried down to the family room to find Benjamin picking up the pieces of his wrecked Lego set. Apparently, one of the cats jumped onto the table and knocked it down with a brush of her tail.

          Not a big deal, you might be thinking. But to a boy with autism, who spent hours building his set, it was a catastrophe. Fixable? Certainly. Upsetting? Absolutely. Worth crying over? Debatable.

          Some days, I find myself asking that very same question; “Why, LORD? Why me?” It’s natural to question the reason for our trials, to wonder why God allows suffering, to ponder the purpose for the pain. Even Solomon, the wisest man to ever walk this earth, wondered why his life felt meaningless and empty. His wisdom only served to increase the gamut of his “Why?”

          I’m not saying it’s wrong to wonder why God allows hardships. But it’s dangerous to remain stuck on the whys of life and not move on to the “What?” and “How?” What is God’s purpose for this trial and how will I respond?

          The problem is in our perception of life. As human beings, we tend to focus on ourselves; our happiness, our well-being, our personal wealth, our success. We want God to fall in line with our man-made plans. When He changes them, and our world turns bottom-up, our first reaction is to ask, “Why God? Why?”

The truth is, we were not created to focus on our own pleasure and self-fulfillment. We were created by God and for God, to fulfill His divine purpose. Those very troubles and trials that beget our “Whys?” fit into a greater plan. Think of Joseph; his trials saved thousands of lives. Paul’s imprisonment gave us the Epistles.

          God has a reason for every one of our “Whys?” We may not understand, nor even know the reason until we get to heaven where the purpose of all our trials will finally be revealed – the ultimate aha! moment.

Until then, God calls us to trust, accept, and carry on. Only then will we be able to fully experience His joy, peace, and hope for the future.