Faith & Insight: Asking – and answering – ‘why?’

Lately I’ve come to think that one of my great-grandson’s favorite words is “why.” He is very inquisitive, which is good, but my answers don’t seem to satisfy him because most of the time he follows my answer to his “why” with another “why.”

I continue to try to answer his questions, but one answer leads to another question. That word “why” is one that is familiar to all of us as we walk through life. God is gracious to provide for us a multitude of answers to our “whys” in his word.

The Psalms and Proverbs are a great source of wisdom and understanding, but there will continue to be times where we ask God why, as the Psalmist did:

Why do you stand afar off, O Lord? Why do you hide in times of trouble? Psalm 10:1

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, and from the words of my groaning? Psalm 22:1 Psalm 42:9

There are times when it seems like the Lord is “afar off” or has “forgotten me.” There are times when things happen in our lives that we don’t understand and our “whys” go unanswered. Why does God do the things that he does? Well, the simplistic answer is, because he is God.

“Whatever the Lord pleases he does, in heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deep places.”

Psalm 135:6

We can’t blame God for all the bad things that happen to us and around us, for there is a very real adversary whose sole mission is to “steal, kill and destroy,” and there are a multitude of people who we share this planet with that are bound in sin and live that way.

In the midst of it all, we can know absolutely that our God loves us, and he is unchanging: He is “a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth.” Psalm 86:15

“The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. The Lord is good to all, and his tender mercies are over all that he has made.” Psalm 145:8-9

So, what shall we say then? “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths,” (Proverbs 3:5-6) and he will even answer some of your “whys” along the way.

Louis J. Locke is founding pastor at Carson City Foursquare Church.