You know the favorite question of a three-year-old—why? Why do clouds float? Why can’t birds talk? Why do bugs have so many legs? Why am I so small? The endless curiosity of little children and their questions provide them with information to try and make sense of the big world they are experiencing. Their innocence and inquisitiveness create a magical time for them and the adults in their life, even though their “why’s,” can be relentless at times.
Unfortunately, this sense of awe diminishes when the heartaches and scars you endure living in this broken world, pile up with each year of your life. As an imperfect person, the magical why question turns into asking God why bad things happen to good people. Why do some bad people appear to get away with injustice? Why do you choose to sin even though you have asked Jesus into your heart? Why doesn’t God make a Christian’s life easy? If you are not careful, your questions why can become a howling unrelenting wind which the enemy can use to break your faith focus and trust in God’s sovereignty in this broken earth. The enemy works to tempt you to take matters into your hands and become the judge, jury, and executioner to create an acceptable reason why in your mind. Do not fall into the Devils’ trap of demanding to know a reason for everything or you could waste years being frustrated and at odds with God and Jesus in your heart, which is the enemy’s goal.
You and I do not have God in a body next to us to ask Him why specific things happen, but we have His words of truth to study which reveal His heart and character. When you are a new believer in Christ Jesus, the why questions are a process of learning just as they were when you were a child. God welcomes your questions because they create intimate communications fostering a healthy personal relationship. However, as you come to know God and mature in your faith, you slowly realize and accept you are not God. Accepting this truth releases you from your need to know a reason for everything. When you were learning to walk your parents allowed you to fall and pick yourself up without telling you why, while they stayed close to you. God is your perfect loving Father, and He is always at your side, and Jesus is always inside you. They are with you always, but they do not take away your freedom to choose whom to place your trust in ultimately—God, others, yourself, or the enemy.
To be human is to be curious and ask the question why. However, when you mature and live in the love of Jesus as his disciple, your steadfast trust and faith through God’s word convert why questions into an action plan to keep your faith progressively growing. In faith, you have the choice to let your why questions push you to find answers in God’s word about His sovereignty and plan for you and the human race. You can search to understand what God has in His hands and what you are responsible to understand, learn, and change to strengthen your faith or help others strengthen theirs. Focusing on growing your faith through a personal relationship with Jesus keeps your why questions from coming between you and God. In Christ Jesus, you are empowered to, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV, no matter what you think or feel.
Jesus empowers you to focus on doing what you are created for and what you are called to do—trust in God’s plan and reasons and follow Christ’s example. Live a courageous life trusting God and leave the reason and results up to Him!
