“Why?” That is one of the most powerful questions ever asked. And it is asked all the time. I started thinking about the “Why?” question when I saw a recent advertisement for a book that is supposed to, if not answer that question, at least point us in the direction of settling it. The theme of the book is “Why did God let that happen.” Why indeed.
I thought I’d check out “why” in my concordances. In the New King James, there are 430 “why” questions, and 550 in the New International. The first “why” question is God asking Cain, “Why are you angry?” The last “why” question is asked of John by the angel in Revelations, “Why are you astonished?” [Genesis 4:6, Rev 17:7]
While those are the first and the last, there are plenty more “why” questions in between. Perhaps the most profound was uttered by Jesus on the cross when He used David’s words from Psalm 22:1: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
David’s full statement reads, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning?” [NIV]
As a pastor and hospice chaplain, I’ve heard that “why?” question many times over the years. I’ve come to understand that in this life, we will never have an answer that we can completely understand or completely accept. “Why?” is as often a simple cry of pain as it is a question that we think someone other than God can answer to our satisfaction.
“Why?” I don’t know. But I know God loves me, He is for me, and He will one day bring me home to Him. I can leave “Why? for now in His hands.
