When You Want to Know Why - The Crosswalk Devotional - January 13
When You Want to Know Why
By Alexis A. Goring
Bible Reading:
“My complaint today is still a bitter one, and I try hard not to groan aloud.” – Job 23:2 NLT
Have you ever considered that knowing God is better than knowing the answers to your questions?
There have been situations in my life where I asked God why He let something bad and hurtful happen to me. I also wanted to know why He allows so much pain and suffering in this world. I was growing discouraged by this oppressive pain until one day, God answered me through the lyrics of the Christian song by Crystal Lewis titled “Why.”
The opening lyrics state that Lewis is experiencing overwhelming thoughts and deep pain that is causing her mental distress. She desires understanding and peace, so she asks God, “Why?”
The song continues with Lewis expressing a bitter complaint then receiving a sweet reply from the Lord. After those brief encouraging words from God, Lewis tells Him that she still has lingering questions. However, in the midst of her heart wrenching pain, Lewis acknowledges that God’s ways are not humankind’s ways of life (Isaiah 55:8-9). She knows that no matter what happens, God loves her and cares for all humankind. Therefore, she chooses to rest in God and trust that His promises found in The Bible are true.
By the end of her song, Lewis chooses to trust God and allow His strength to carry her through tough times. She realizes that knowing God is better than knowing why. Her message rings true today as it did also before we were born. Let’s look at a relatable story in the Bible that illustrates this lesson point.
There is a story in the Bible about a wealthy man named Job who feared God and led a blessed life with his wife and children. The Bible says that one time, Satan told God that Job only serves Him because He has blessed Job so abundantly and put a holy hedge of protection around him. Satan challenged God saying that if Job wasn’t so blessed and protected then he would stop being faithful to God (Job 1:8-11). It was then that God gave the devil permission to wreak havoc in Job’s life with one exception: He could not kill Job.
Satan took that permission slip and ran with it, bringing intense calamity in Job’s life. Within one day, all of Job’s children were killed while they were gathered together for a family feast, his sheep and servants died in a fire, his camels were stolen, and a few more disastrous events happened. Hearing all this bad news in rapid succession plunged Job into the pit of despair. The Bible says he tore his robe and shaved his head (Job 1:20). But then he did something remarkable: Job chose to praise the Lord and not charge him with any wrongdoing. Clearly, Job was a very wise man. It takes a lot to praise your way through your pain and keep trusting God when you have every reason to do the opposite. Even Job’s wife, appalled at his response to all that trauma and tragedy, told him to “Curse God and die” (Job 2:9). She told her husband this later in the story when God allowed Satan to attack Job’s health, striking him with painful sores all over his body. His wife couldn’t take it anymore, but Job stayed strong and true to God through it all.
This story ends with God rewarding Job’s faithfulness to Him by restoring his health and giving him double for his trouble. Job had more children and all the wealth in the world. The rest of his life was the best because he did not give up. Job didn’t know what had happened between God and Satan behind the scenes, but he knew our God is good all the time no matter what happens. Clearly, Job knew that knowing God is better than knowing the answer to his questions.
We who are in this modern era can learn from Job’s story in the Bible and be encouraged to respond with full faith in God no matter our dire circumstances. We can choose to praise God through our troubles and trust Him in our trials. But that is the key: We have a choice. God gives us free will. He never forces us to do anything for Him, but He delights in our obedience to Him. The Bible says in Hebrews 11:6 NIV, “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
My prayer for us today is that God enables us to have faith in Him like Job did. May He inspire us to trust Him through our trials and praise Him through our pain. And as we do this, may our faith please God and may we hold onto hope that He is still writing our story and that it has a beautiful ending.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
What will you do next time your pain overwhelms you? Will you choose to trust God when you don’t understand why you are in pain?
Further Reading:
Isaiah 41:10
Psalm 55:22
Romans 8:28
Jeremiah 29:11
Isaiah 26:3
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Doucefleur
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Related Resource: How Habit Stacking Will Help You Discipline Your Mind, Body, & Spirit
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