When Your Faith Asks God, “Why?”
Have you ever found yourself looking up to heaven and asking God, “Why?”
Why am I going through this? Why did You allow this to happen? Why haven’t You answered my prayers? Why does it seem like the more I try to follow You, the harder life becomes?
I believe we’ve all been there at some point in our lives.
We pray. We seek God. We try to walk in obedience. We do our best to follow His Word. Yet sometimes we find ourselves in situations that make absolutely no sense.
And in those moments, we ask, “God, why?”
But here’s something the Holy Spirit has been placing on my heart.
What if we’re asking God the wrong question?
What if instead of asking, “Lord, why is this happening to me?” we began asking, “Lord, what are You trying to teach me through this?”
What if instead of asking, “Why haven’t You delivered me?” we asked, “How can I glorify You while I’m going through this?”
Look at the picture.
Here is a man behind bars, his hands bound in chains, looking toward heaven with a question that so many of us have asked.
WHY?
But I want you to notice something else.
His hands may be chained, but they’re still folded in prayer.
His circumstances may have imprisoned his body, but they haven’t imprisoned his faith.
And that reminds me of Paul and Silas.
In Acts 16, Paul and Silas were beaten, thrown into prison, and placed in stocks. They were suffering, not because they had turned away from God, but because they were serving Him.
Yet at midnight, instead of allowing their circumstances to silence their faith, they began praying and singing hymns to God.
And the other prisoners were listening.
Think about that for a moment.
Their suffering became an opportunity for someone else to witness their faith.
They didn’t need to understand everything God was doing to continue trusting Him.
And neither do we.
James 1:2–4 reminds us to consider it a great joy when we experience various trials because the testing of our faith produces endurance.
That doesn’t mean we have to enjoy the pain. It doesn’t mean we won’t cry, struggle, become frustrated, or ask questions.
It means we understand that God can have a purpose even in the pain we don’t understand.
I’ve learned that some of the greatest spiritual growth in my life hasn’t come during the mountaintop moments. It’s come in the valleys, when I had nothing left to lean on but Jesus Christ.
Those moments when I couldn’t see the way forward, but I had to trust that He could.
And here’s something else we need to understand.
Not every hardship is punishment. Not every closed door is rejection. Not every unanswered prayer means God isn’t listening.
Sometimes the very thing we’re asking God to remove is something He’s using to strengthen our dependence on Him.
Remember, Paul asked the Lord three times to remove the thorn from his flesh.
And God’s response?
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness.” — 2 Corinthians 12:9 (CSB)
God didn’t remove Paul’s struggle. He reminded Paul that His grace was enough to carry him through it.
Brothers and sisters, I don’t know what you’re facing today.
Maybe you’re struggling in your marriage. Maybe you’re grieving someone you’ve lost. Maybe you’re battling an addiction, dealing with financial difficulties, or carrying a burden that nobody else knows about.
And maybe you’ve been looking toward heaven asking God, “Why?”
I want to encourage you today.
Don’t allow the question of WHY to become greater than your faith in WHO.
You may not know WHY you’re going through this season.
But you know WHO is walking through it with you.
You know WHO has never abandoned you.
You know WHO gave His life for you.
And you know WHO has the power to bring beauty from the ashes of your circumstances.
Today’s Reflection:
Are you so focused on asking God why something is happening that you’re missing what He may be doing in the middle of it?
Are you allowing your circumstances to dictate your faith, or are you allowing your faith to guide you through your circumstances?
Remember this:
You don’t have to understand God’s plan to trust God’s heart.
And sometimes the greatest testimony isn’t that God removed the chains.
It’s that you continued to worship Him while you were still wearing them.
Have a Blessed Day!
Rev. Carlos Figueroa
TheFreeBible.org
