“All I want is a reasonable answer —– then I will keep quiet.” Job 6:24
Job just wanted to know why.
Has that ever been your question?
If you know the story of Job then you know that he is the “poster child” of suffering in the Bible. Job lost everything; his children, his wealth, his health, and even the support of a loving wife. God allowed the Devil to bring suffering on Job to the severest point of pain, stopping only short of taking Job’s life.
That alone has a series of “Why” questions attached to it.
Job just wanted to know why. He simply wanted a sincere, reasonable answer.
You should know Job had lived a righteous life. He was one of the good guys.
Have you ever heard the question, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” I am not sure that question didn’t originate with Job.
Job didn’t think sin had caused his pain. He didn’t believe that God was a harsh God. He also knew God as a loving God, so Job knew his suffering wasn’t a result of the meanness of God. As hard as he tried to understand and find answers nothing made sense. There appeared to be no reason.
The fact is, Job’s dilemma is often are ours. We can’t always understand the ways of God. We can try, but there will be situations and circumstances in life that simply will not make sense to us. We can know that God will work all things for good. We can know that He will never leave us nor forsake us, because those are promises He has made. We can even know that nothing will ever separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus.
We may never know the answers to our questions of why.
Instead of trying to resolve the unanswered questions, I wonder if our goal should be otherwise. I wonder if our goal should be to trust in the God who does understand.
I wonder if the solution is not to question as much as to simply rest in the sufficiency of God. I know. That is hard to do, but over time, as we experience God more, our resolve through the trials of life should become more of repentance and rest and quietness and trust. This is where our strength will be found. (Isaiah 30:15)
Lord; grow us towards total dependence on You through times of life we cannot understand.
Have you ever been in a place where you had more questions than answers?
Recently I've attempted moving away from asking 'Why is this happening to me' to asking 'Help me to see my part in this life event.' Still not any easier, but at least it's a healthier mental focus.
Yes. Good idea