A Word for the week – The inevitable question of “Why”

Any time disaster strikes, anytime we or those we love are struck by illness, anytime we lose a loved one, anytime we see overt acts of evil or suffer personal loss, the question can be asked – why? Why do bad things happen to good people and why do good things happen to bad people? Where is justice? Why aren’t things fair? I know this is painting a bleak picture of life but now could very well be one of the times where you are asking these questions. 

You may have found yourself asking these questions before, maybe more than once. You may have asked these questions many times in your life. I really want to encourage you today as to where you can find the answers to these questions. Because, there is someone you can ask all these questions of and more. Only from one place can you get a full, consistent, logical and objectively true answer for all of them. In one place. You don’t have to try and cherry pick ideas and theories and twist facts to fit. There’s no need to look into various religions, science or human philosophies. These big questions have answers.

Ok so who has the answers and where do we find them? Let me ask you something: if you are unsure how something works or why it seems to not be working so well, where do you go for answers? You would go back to the manufacturer, the creator or designer and you would look at the manual they have to go with it. There you’ll see what is said about the problems you’re facing. The same is true of life. God is the creator and sustainer of everything. He is the one who knows how it all works. He knows the answers to these questions.

So how do we get these answers? From the manual right? God is knowable and He has made Himself known, through His Son and second member of the trinity Jesus Christ, and it is all recorded in His word. All the answers to these questions are written in an incredible, inspired, inerrant, authoritative book. 

A rock solid foundation to build your life on, and especially encouraging in these times of questioning, is to know who God is and to know that He does not change. When life is tough, God is still love. When life is unfair God is still just. When life is full of temptation, God is still gracious. Your circumstances, your emotions, your financial situation, none of this changes who God is or how he relates to us. How is God love? He sacrificed His son for you. How is He just? The punishment for sin has been taken and the debt paid for through Jesus’ death. How is God gracious? He has forgiven you and on top provided you with His Spirit to help you through temptation.

Be encouraged, there isn’t a problem with asking these hard questions, because our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ has answered them all for us.Get to know the manufacturer, read His specifications and you will be so confident and assured of His goodness and your position in Christ that you will ask these questions less and less as you understand the answers more and more.