Why God?

“‘But sir,’ Gideon replied, ‘if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our fathers told us about…But now the LORD has abandoned us…’” Judges 6:13

As I previously mentioned I am involved with Griefshare at our church and each week we tackle another session trying to make sense and endure grief. This upcoming session will be difficult as it bids the question, ‘Why?’

Whether our grief is from the death of a loved one or the loss of a job, relationship or health, grief can be overwhelming and all consuming. Our grief demands answers and is sometimes fueled with anger. The underlying questions of why God allowed our pain and our belief that He abandoned us have been asked of God since the beginning of time. When pain and suffering come into our lives we look to God for answers, explanations and understanding. We immediately tend to blame God for our circumstances instead of praising God for carrying us through another day. We tend to focus on what God did not do in our lives. Thankfully, God is big enough for our questions. He didn’t respond in anger to Gideon when he claimed that the LORD had abandoned him. Rather, the LORD imparted to Gideon that he would be successful if and when He rested in the LORD’s strength.

Knowing this upcoming session would be difficult I have been reading Confessions of a Grieving Christian by Zig Ziglar. There is awesome material in this book that everyone should read in the face of any kind of grief. He writes, ‘I am truly grateful that our faith enables us to move past our questions. We need to understand that at the time of intense pain…it is natural for little seeds of doubt about our faith to creep into our minds and hearts. God understands this need…and desires for you to bring any doubts and fears to Him. Until you face these emotions in God’s presence, you will not be able to reaffirm your faith completely and accept His grace.’ P. 72-73

I remember asking God why He couldn’t have healed my sister and my dad and answered my prayers. His spirit touched my heart that day and I will never forget His words. ‘Brenda, for me to give you what you were praying for was for me to give them less than what I wanted for them. I was ready for them to have everything.’ Zig Ziglar writes, ‘Our faith assures us that God said no to our prayers for her (his daughter) on earth so He could completely heal her and give her the eternal reward He promised to those who believe. God is good.’ P. 74

The Author of our faith is writing the same truths for each of us. Our healing will come when we are honestly seeking and experiencing God. When His children seek Him, God does not pick and choose to whom He will reveal Himself. He makes Himself accessible to all who seek Him intimately. Are we giving Him the chance to comfort and reveal or are we allowing our pain to become our barrier? Ask God your questions and watch Him work in your healing.