Asking God Why?

When I was a kid, we had a dog chained up
in the backyard.

Now, like most dogs, he loved to chase after cars.  Since he was on a chain, he never got too close, but that didn't stop him from running back and forth after each car that drove past our house.  And trust me, we lived on a very busy road.

One day while I was in the backyard petting him, a flow of traffic zoomed by.  He ran off barking and his chain caught my leg, tripping me to my knees.  Another car roared by going the opposite way, and he followed suit.  Then another car zipped by going the other way.  Similar pattern.  In the process, the chain wrapped around my throat.  When the next car whizzed by, I began to be strangled.

So far, that is the scariest moment of my life.  My life literally passed before my eyes (as brief as it was) while I used my remaining breath to beg my little brother for help.  Assistance did arrive (otherwise I wouldn't be typing this post) but for a few minutes, I was sure that would be my dying day.

In 1 Kings 17:17-24, we see the dying day of the widow's son.  He grew sicker and sicker until he died.  When he did, both the widow and Elijah had questions for God.  They wanted to know why?

I believe that's our natural reaction to pain and tragedy.  We want to know why God allowed this pain into our lives.  We wonder if we're being punished or if somehow God is mad at us.  That's natural and human.  But it's not always correct.

Does God sometimes use pain and tragedy as punishment?  Sure he does.  Does he always use it?  Of course not.  Sometimes pain is the natural consequences of our actions.  (If you drive too fast you get a ticket.  If you smoke, you can develop lung cancer.)  Sometimes pain is the result of being tested.  (See Job.)  Sometimes Satan is the cause of our pain. 

When the pain comes, we want to know why.  I think God understands that.  He never rebukes the woman or Elijah in 1 Kings 17.  In fact, he heard and answered Elijah's prayer. 

God allows us to ask why.  That's one of the great things about God.  He wants us to explore our faith and to know more about him. 

Now, be careful not to accuse God.  That drifts into sinful territory.  But an honest question seeking an honest answer is not frowned upon by the Lord.  He welcomes the dialogue.  In fact, he want to speak with you right now.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Devotion to a false god

Image
Last week, at Disney World, I went to retrieve our stroller from the stroller parking section.  As I searched among the hundred or so strollers, I finally found mine and started to move it.  As I pulled, it snagged on a woman's garment.  Panicked, I looked up and saw it was a Muslim women in full Muslin dress.  Her body was completely covered.  Only a slit for her eyes was visible.  I was careful not to yank, and I tried to apologize as the hook of the handle caught part of her garment.  She didn't say a word and we both quietly went on our ways. As I walked away, I felt pity on her.  For one, it's Disney World in June in Florida.  I strode along in shorts and a very thin T-shirt.  Both were soaked in sweat.  I had already consumed two bottles of water and still felt weary.  She was dressed head to toe in heavy garments.  I can't imagine how hot she was pushing a stroller with two kids through a mass of people in humid air and on hot pavement. Secondly, she dres
Read more

Time for an examination

Image
For my seminary class on counseling, I had to read a book about anxiety and worry.  In the book, the author, Archibald Hart, made the case that sometimes worry can be good. He gave the example of worrying about an illness - in the case a spot on the skin that could be cancerous.  Since skin cancer is a very real, and deadly, possibility, your worrying about it should spurn you to have it examined.  In that case, it's a healthy form of worrying.  It's more natural concern than worry, even when we dwell on it.  It's our brain's mechanism to check out anomalous things. For me, Matthew 7:21-23 is one of those "spots" you need to worry about.  In the passage, Jesus says many people who drive out demons, preach, teach and do miracles will not gain access into the Kingdom of Heaven.  They'll have all the outward signs of a believer but have no real, genuine relationship with Jesus Christ. That's a very scary proposition.  It addresses those of us who
Read more

God Uses Conflict

Image
I am not a big fan of conflict.  I don't know many people that are. Yet, one thing I learned in my communication classes in college is that in any human relationship or interaction, conflict is inevitable and unavoidable.  In fact, I teach in my marriage counseling that conflict, and how we handle it, can even strengthen our marriages. Conflict is not always a bad thing.  Through conflict, we see new points of view.  We grow as we weather the storm. We even strengthen our resolve. And, at time, God brings conflict into your life in order to move you from where you are to where he wants you to be. That's what happened with the Israelites.  In Exodus 14, we see that God moves to the Jewish people to the once place that means an unavoidable conflict with Egypt.  Surrounded by the Egyptian army, an impassible terrain and the Red Sea, Israel is forced into a confrontation with the Egyptian army.  They have no where to run and ultimately must listen to God as he directs the
Read more