Why? It's a question we ask quite a lot. We've all seen children who ask endless questions, and then, when they've run out of questions, simply ask why to everything, including your explanations! It can get frustrating, yet it is a golden picture of our human desire to understand everything. We wanted as kids to know why the cow eats grass, why it needs to, why it needs to stay alive, why did God make it that way, etc, etc, and on and on we go.
It carries on into our teen years, and I have no doubt it carries on into adulthood. We want to know why. Why is life hard? Why do bad things happen? Why did God allow acne? (Tell me I'm not the only one to wonder that!)
We have this unlimited desire to know why, and we carry it into our relationship with God. Honestly, it's natural. We've applied it everywhere else in life; why not here? In a way, this can be good. This natural curiosity can drive us to study more and more about God in an effort to understand Him more.
But this can also be a bad thing, since as so many of our questions go unanswered, we become disillusioned. Maybe we wonder why God made us endure this trial or that; maybe we indict God on the charges of the human suffering in Africa and Asia; maybe we question His love or His care for us in the face of hard times.
So I think we need to face something that may change how you read the Bible and view God. You will not always understand God. God is a mystery, exactly because He is God. You and I will not always understand His ways. There will be unanswered questions for all time. He does not owe you an explanation. He's God. That's just the way it is.
Why? Because God's ways are infinitely above mine. I cannot even comprehend God's ways. Is. 55:8-9 say, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are yours ways my ways,' declares the Lord. 'For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts."
God would not be God if I understood Him 100% of the time. As a mere human, I should not expect to understand Him all the time. There are and will be times when the "why" of God remains unanswered.
Now, some of y'all are sitting there thinking, "Great. Why'd you bother to write this? You haven't said anything I don't already know!" You're right; I haven't. And I probably won't. But what I am offering is a reminder.
When we can't see God's reasons is when our faith is tried. It's easy for a kid to believe dad that there are no monsters in his bedroom when the lights are on. It's when the lights go off and the kid can't see anymore that his trust in his dad is tested.
If we understood the "why" of every situation, there would be no need for faith. So, when we come to the situation where we are at a loss as to the "why" of the subject, that is where we are called to live by faith. And it will happen. Life will hit you where you feel vulnerable and where you no longer understand the motivation behind God's actions.
And that is where our faith is tried and made stronger. When we can't see God in the shadows is when we have to learn that we can trust that He is good, through it all, whether or not we understand. God is good.
You're gonna wonder why sometimes. Some nights you're going to lie awake, stare at your ceiling and wonder why certain things happen. I had a very close friend move away this summer. And I remember lying awake at night some nights, staring at the ceiling and wondering why, what was the reason? What was God thinking? Why that friend?
But that is where we learn that God is good, and our faith in His goodness is tested. I didn't understand why God moved that friend away. I still don't. But I can tell you that God is good. And I believe that friend would look you in the eye and tell you the same.
We're gonna lose the answer sometimes. Some days, life's purpose and meaning will escape, and we will be left wondering where the pieces that were life as we knew it went. But God is still good. Even in the shadows and the darkness, even in the unknown, God is still good. And we can trust Him, even when we no longer can understand His ways. We can trust our Father.
It carries on into our teen years, and I have no doubt it carries on into adulthood. We want to know why. Why is life hard? Why do bad things happen? Why did God allow acne? (Tell me I'm not the only one to wonder that!)
We have this unlimited desire to know why, and we carry it into our relationship with God. Honestly, it's natural. We've applied it everywhere else in life; why not here? In a way, this can be good. This natural curiosity can drive us to study more and more about God in an effort to understand Him more.
But this can also be a bad thing, since as so many of our questions go unanswered, we become disillusioned. Maybe we wonder why God made us endure this trial or that; maybe we indict God on the charges of the human suffering in Africa and Asia; maybe we question His love or His care for us in the face of hard times.
So I think we need to face something that may change how you read the Bible and view God. You will not always understand God. God is a mystery, exactly because He is God. You and I will not always understand His ways. There will be unanswered questions for all time. He does not owe you an explanation. He's God. That's just the way it is.
Why? Because God's ways are infinitely above mine. I cannot even comprehend God's ways. Is. 55:8-9 say, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are yours ways my ways,' declares the Lord. 'For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts."
God would not be God if I understood Him 100% of the time. As a mere human, I should not expect to understand Him all the time. There are and will be times when the "why" of God remains unanswered.
Now, some of y'all are sitting there thinking, "Great. Why'd you bother to write this? You haven't said anything I don't already know!" You're right; I haven't. And I probably won't. But what I am offering is a reminder.
When we can't see God's reasons is when our faith is tried. It's easy for a kid to believe dad that there are no monsters in his bedroom when the lights are on. It's when the lights go off and the kid can't see anymore that his trust in his dad is tested.
If we understood the "why" of every situation, there would be no need for faith. So, when we come to the situation where we are at a loss as to the "why" of the subject, that is where we are called to live by faith. And it will happen. Life will hit you where you feel vulnerable and where you no longer understand the motivation behind God's actions.
And that is where our faith is tried and made stronger. When we can't see God in the shadows is when we have to learn that we can trust that He is good, through it all, whether or not we understand. God is good.
You're gonna wonder why sometimes. Some nights you're going to lie awake, stare at your ceiling and wonder why certain things happen. I had a very close friend move away this summer. And I remember lying awake at night some nights, staring at the ceiling and wondering why, what was the reason? What was God thinking? Why that friend?
But that is where we learn that God is good, and our faith in His goodness is tested. I didn't understand why God moved that friend away. I still don't. But I can tell you that God is good. And I believe that friend would look you in the eye and tell you the same.
We're gonna lose the answer sometimes. Some days, life's purpose and meaning will escape, and we will be left wondering where the pieces that were life as we knew it went. But God is still good. Even in the shadows and the darkness, even in the unknown, God is still good. And we can trust Him, even when we no longer can understand His ways. We can trust our Father.
Yes.... Yes... I have wondered why God allowed acne.... :p
ReplyDeleteThanks for the reminder Taylor!
Ha, ha, I'm not the only one! Thanks for reading!
DeleteOk. I don't know how you knew, but I was thinking/writing about this just the other day. There are so many things lately that I wonder why they happen, so many things I can't figure out, and ultimately what He wants me to learn from it. So thank you for this reminder, I kind of really needed that this week.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I need it too sometimes. Y'all's move has been a struggle for me too, and God's used it to teach me things too!
DeleteTaylor B., thank you so much for this post. I have been extremely busy of late and haven't had time to read many blogs, but today when I saw the title of this post I new I should read it. I have really been struggling lately, especially today, and asking the "why" questions over and over again with everything, yet I get no answers (basically I have been really discouraged today). So this post was so timely for me to read and a reminder that I really needed. These are truths that I already knew, but sometimes I just need someone else to say it to me, so thanks again. This has really blessed me today. Thanks for speaking truth into my life.
ReplyDeleteAnd, no, I don't think I ever really seriously asked God why he made acne. That was one of the few things that I thought he had a good reason for. You might laugh, but I used to have really severe acne and yet I would sometimes thank God for it because I figured he gave it to me so I wouldn't ever have to worry about having the wrong guys interested in me or as I like to call it "boy trouble". It seems to have worked really well, too. ;)
I thank God He was able to use this blog to help you! He gets the glory, not me!
DeleteHa, ha, a good guy will see right through the acne. :) I always got a nice big pimple dead center of my forehead, and there were a lot of days I'd go, "WHY?" :) But you do have a good reason, it seems!
Hopefully you're right about that ("a good guy will see right through the acne"). Its actually not so bad any more now that I am older so it is not so much of a concern (hopefully that will bring comfort to you to know that it will pass. ;) ). But when I did have acne really bad, I got a couple interesting comments from little kids who didn't quite understand. Thankfully God gave me an extra amount of grace and I didn't take it too personally. ;)
DeleteKeep writing for God's glory and he will keep using it to bless others. ;)
Since I've grown a beard, the acne has diminished greatly. But that wasn't really a good option for you! :P
DeleteHaha! No, that is definitely not an option for me, but glad it worked for you! ;)
Delete