“Clouds and thick darkness surround him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.” Psalm 97:20
There’s much about God we don’t understand. Why didn’t He stop the earthquake or the tsunami? Why doesn’t He protect innocent children? Why do the wicked prosper?
Job and his friends asked many “why” questions. So many things had gone wrong in Job’s life–for no apparent reason–that he despaired of life. “Why did I not perish at birth and die as I came from the womb?” he wailed (Job 10:18). He had lost his children, his marriage, his belongings, his health and his reputation. When he asked, “Why?” his four friends said, “You must have sinned or God would never allow this to happen to you.”
“But I’ve always tried to do what’s right,” Job replied.
“You couldn’t have,” his friends insisted. They kept accusing him of sin and Job kept defending himself. After thirty seven chapters of this, they were no closer to an answer than when they started.
That’s when God showed up and spoke for Himself. Although He cleared Job of all sin, He did not give him an answer as to why he had suffered. Instead, God asked Job questions which he, being a mere man, could not answer. And what was Job’s conclusion? “I had heard about you before, but now I have seen you with my own eyes. I take back everything I said, and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance” (Job 42:5, 6 NLT). Job worshiped.
Like Job, I’ve found that ‘why’ is the wrong question to ask. It’s like beating your head against the wall. God has chosen not to tell us why and if He did, we wouldn’t understand it anyway! “My thoughts are completely different from yours,” says the LORD. “And my ways are far beyond anything you can imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8, 9).
“You can’t analyze God. He is too awesome, too big, too mysterious,” writes C.S. Lewis. “I know now, Lord, why you utter no answer. You Yourself are the answer.”
God rightly perceived will always be a God too big for our human understanding. And what do you do when you are confronted with a God too awesome to grasp? You worship.
We worship God when we leave it up to Him to interpret our circumstances. We worship God when we allow Him to define our lives and our purpose. We worship God when we allow our heartache to crowd us closer to the One who grieves with us because He loves us.
Thank you, Father, that you grieve with us because you love us.
by Helen Lescheid
Used by Permission
To read more of Helen’s writings go to http://www.helenlescheid.com
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