Why?

Several years ago Dr. James Dobson of Focus on the Family Ministries wrote a book entitled When God Doesn’t Make Sense.  In his book, Dobson shared many questions from good, God-fearing people concerning difficulties and tragedies in their lives and their struggle to make sense out of their dilemmas.  This book is just one of thousands before it trying to provide an answer (or at least a satisfactory explanation) to the age old question of “why”.  The theological term for this question is Theodicy.  Theodicy usually follows this simple line of reasoning.   If God is good and loving; and if God is all powerful and can do all things; then why do bad things happen, especially to good people?   All of us have had those times when we have prayed earnestly with all the faith and hope and belief we can muster, only to see our crisis continue.  Often when we fail to see the divine intervention we seek, our humanity screams out with indignation “why God, why?”  Because we believe so strongly in God’s goodness and power, we can easily interpret our struggle as either negligence or even distain on the part of God Almighty.  And like Dobson suggests, no matter how hard we try to figure it out, sometimes God just doesn’t make sense.

So let’s review a few pertinent facts.  First of all, above all else, God is always right.  This means that He never makes a mistake.  God is never confused, or uninformed about what is going on.  He never misses or messes up.  As much as we may like to joke about it, “oops” is not in God’s vocabulary.  Secondly, God’s love is perfect and He is constantly pursuing a loving relationship with His people.  God never, ever, forgets, forsakes, neglects, misappropriates, misunderstands, fumbles, ignores, disregards, quits, abandons or misleads His people.  Finally, God’s plan is to lead His people to a place characterized as “good”  (Romans 8:28), whether or not we can actually see and understand that “good”  result.

On the other hand, we are extremely finite and limited in everything we do.  The Apostle Paul wrote that we can only see a “poor reflection” of God’s reality.  (1 Cor. 13:12)  From our tiny little human perch, we can only see those things that are directly related to us; and that only through selfishly biased lenses. Because of our gross limitation in seeing the whole picture, we tend to completely miss anything that remotely resembles “good’ when we are going through circumstances that inflict pain and suffering on us or those we love.  When we cannot see the good, we cry out all the more loudly for a specifically desired result and when it does not come (if it does not come) we are left with the age-old question; why?

I hope you haven’t been reading ahead in anticipation of an answer to that question which will finally give you a response you can turn to in those times when God doesn’t make sense.  Sorry, no can do.  I would, however, like to offer a helpful suggestion I have often turned to when my questions are not being answered. It is in times like these when we are to insert a wonderful gift, given to us by God himself, called FAITH.  “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”  Hebrews 11:1  Faith allows us to trust in God, even though we cannot see the good in our circumstances.  Faith reminds us that God’s heart is always good and right even though we cannot understand what His hands are doing.  Faith allows us to stand upon our tiny little human perches, looking out over the darkness of uncertainly and loudly proclaim with Job, “even though He slay me, yet will I hope in him.”  Job 13:15 

The truth is, God always makes sense.  It’s just that I do not always see it.  I have read and truly appreciate Dr. Dobson’s book.  However, I might be so bold as to suggest a different title; When God Doesn’t Make Sense To Me.   Think about it.  And thanks for reading.