Have you ever felt guilty for asking the forbidden question of, “God, why?”  Although the intense pain you are feeling seems to demand an answer to this question, you feel condemned to be questioning the Almighty God. What kind of weak Christian are you, if you can’t just accept what God brings your way? Shouldn’t you be strong enough not to struggle with this question?

In my last blog, The Silent Scream of, “God, WHY?”, I shared about some of the heartbreaking situations that many of us find ourselves in. The “blows” that threaten to destroy us are strategically placed by the “Destroyer.” However, there is one important fact that we cannot afford to overlook…If you truly grasp and then embrace this concept, it will totally change your whole life by changing your perspective on the difficult things you face.

Before we look at this life-changing response, let’s explore the “Why, God?” question. Do you remember Jesus’ “heart cry” while He was in great anguish and His broken body was dying on that horrible cross?  He cried out to His Father, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matt. 27:46). Although I do not want to get into theological debates regarding this verse, I find it interesting that Jesus also experienced this intense question. Jesus was completely sinless, yet, He asked, “God, why?”. In the same way, I do not believe that it is wrong for us to ask God this question when we are going through a difficult experience. However, when we remain in that mindset longterm and begin to question God’s sovereignty, we begin heading down the destructive path that Satan intends for us to take. If we sincerely seek to find the answers to this tough question, God will reveal them to us.

Our family has found healing in having some of our, “God, why?” questions answered. After facing three heart transplants; two cancers; severe, life-threatening allergies; infertility; miscarriages; and the death of our teenage son, we have had many opportunities to look for these answers. With each answer that God has given to us, there has been a greater sense of healing and acceptance. God will faithfully reveal the answers to you when you earnestly look for them. I like this quote, “God’s will is exactly what we would choose if we knew all the facts.” 

Some of our answers have been that we have a much greater dependence on God than what we had previously; we value each other and don’t take our relationships for granted; God has expanded our ministry to those who are hurting; we have discovered the ONLY true basis for our security–the Lord, Jesus Christ! We are daily given a greater opportunity to experience and demonstrate the grace and peace of God; and our excitement and longing for heaven continues to grow.

If you are facing a tough time, a loss, or a crisis in your life, please take the time to search for the answers to your “God, why?” questions. It will be very healing for you to make a list of the answers that God gives to you. If you have been struggling with anger and bitterness towards God or others, the first step in finding answers is having an honest heart and admitting these struggles to God. Ask Him to forgive you for the bitterness, and then intently ask for the answers to be revealed to you. Be prepared to write down your list of benefits BECAUSE of this situation. We have found that after we have seen all the ways that we were benefitted, we were able to view the tough times as blessings rather than trials.

On the other hand, if you are living a sin-filled life, you can’t expect anything BUT devastation and loss. The Bible says, “the way of transgressors is hard…” (Prov. 13:15) If you are still determined to run your life your own way, you can be confident that there will be many times and ways that you will face hard things. This is because God will continue to do whatever it takes to get your attention and make you aware of your need for Him.

 
If you are living as a child of God and are facing trials and storms, then finding these answers will be vital for you. Soon after our son, Austin, passed away, Dr. Bill Gothard sent us an unedited, email copy of his book, “Why Did God Let it Happen?”. It was a tremendous blessing to our family, and we highly recommend it. This little booklet is filled with numerous “nuggets” of truth and wisdom based on God’s word. This is a quote from it: “If we do not learn how to discern the benefits that God intends to give us, we will never understand why things happen to us. However, this skill must be so natural for our thinking that whenever something happens we immediately ask, “Why did God let this happen?”

Let me ask you…Should there be a distinct difference in the way a believer in Christ responds to trials and loss, compared to a nonbeliever’s response? Should we be struggling and questioning God’s goodness when things go wrong for us? Wouldn’t we be more of a credible witness to God’s grace and peace if we responded in a godly way when we faced difficulties? As I said earlier, it’s not that we don’t ask “God, why?”.  However, if we don’t search and find the answers, we continue struggling and soon it turns into sin. It is very true what someone recently said in an email to us, “Satan is such an ambulance chaser, giving ungodly meaning to our traumas.” 

What is the life-changing concept that I referred to earlier? What should our response be whenever we face a stressful, disappointing, pain-filled, or even life-threatening situation? This reaction to our “God, why?” questions will make ALL the difference in our responses when life becomes hard. Our family is convinced of the fact that God does all things well!  Nothing comes our way that is not for our best. Even the things that Satan brings to “trip us up” has been sifted through the hand of our loving and all-knowing heavenly Father. We can be thankful and rejoice in ALL things because God’s goodness isn’t dependent on our circumstances.

How well have you been demonstrating to a non-believing world that God does ALL things well? First, do you fully believe this? If so, then do your actions and attitudes demonstrate it? Do you have praise on your lips even while going through the tough times?

It is time that God’s people begin to make a difference on the hopeless, sin-cursed culture around them, rather than becoming influenced and molded into this world’s ungrateful and lost society. If we cannot respond in a positive and godly way to the hard things we face, then is our faith truly worth sharing? Why would anyone want what we have if it’s not strong enough to sustain us through the hard times or make a significant difference?

~Cindy (For The Mullett Family)