Why Lord, Why?
by Scott Bruton

I believe that everybody, yes everybody, at some point has asked God, "Why do bad things happen to good people Lord?" "Why am I sick Lord?" "Why did You take my spouse, or child, away from me Lord?" "Why did that accident happen Lord?" "They were just innocent bystanders Lord!" "Why Lord? Why?" If you are asking God these questions, or have in the past, and you are looking to me for an answer, I must tell you, I really don't know. I am not a great theologian or professor of religion. I can only answer that question from the standpoint of a man who has a strong faith and believes that God knows what He is doing. God told Isaiah, "Your ways are not My ways." Isaiah 55:8.

I am sure there are many who feel like they would have done things differently if they had created the world and universe. If they were in charge, only good would happen. Only the wicked would be punished and everything would be perfect. However, humans did not create the world, God did! We must realize that a God who can create something as marvelous and complicated as the world we live in, is the same God who can take care of us, even when bad things happen. Believing that God is in control of things is called having faith! The dictionary's definition of faith is, "A Complete trust or confidence in someone or something." Having confidence and trust in God is faith. If we are men and women of faith, we must believe that bad things happen for a reason and those reasons belong to God Himself. A great truth in the Christian religion is this, "The holy and loving God has a right to be sovereign." Job insisted on maintaining his faith in God even though he did not understand why God was bringing such pain into his life. (Job 1:21 and 13:15)

It is in this truth where we can find encouragement and comfort. God is good and we can trust Him, even when we do not understand His reasons. It is for this reason I can honestly say, I don't know why bad things happen to good people. However, I have faith that God knows, and if God knows, than who am I to question God? Let me encourage you in this area by saying this; It is OK to ask God why. He really does understand when we question Him. I have never heard a sermon, or read a Bible scripture that says it is a sin to question God. As we saw above, Job questioned God. However, being a great man of faith, he also accepted that God was in control and knew what He was doing, even though he did not understand.

I realize that this is a subject that can open up years and years of debate and questions. "If God really loves us, than why would He ever allow bad things to happen?" I am not going to entertain that debate here. I am an encourager, not a debater. If you are ever asked this question, I encourage you to not debate. What we must do as Christians is realize that when bad things happen to people, they are hurting and need our comfort. They need God more than ever, and it is up to us to provide that comfort and strength. God shows His love through the actions of His people. We may not understand the why, but God does. It is up to us to show God's love by allowing people who are hurting and questioning to go through their time of grief and questioning. We do not always need to provide a answer to all of the hard question in life. We simply show God's love by 1) being a friend 2) listening to their questions, and 3) giving them our shoulder to cry on. We will not understand all the ways of God until we get to His home in heaven. I have heard Billy Graham say that when he gets to heaven, it will take a thousand or more years to get the answers to all his questions.

In the mean time, we must have faith and accept that God is in control, that He knows what He is doing, and will work everything out for His honor and Glory. Romans 8:28 "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." "Why Lord, why?" I don't know; I don't understand; However, I am going to have faith and accept that You are God; You are in control, and You will be lifted up and glorified through it all! Amen

I am the author and editor of paraklesisblog.com, a website blog created to encourage the Christian believer in their faith. I am also a Parkinson patient at age 48. This article is free to be distributed as long as my name and website address are attached to the print. Copyright 2012, Scott Bruton

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