“O LORD, how long shall I cry for help and you will not hear? Or cry to you "Violence!"And you will not save? Why do you make me see iniquity, and why do you idly look at wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise… You who are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong, why do you idly look at traitors and remain silent when the wicked swallows up the man more righteous than he?” (Habakkuk 1:2-3, 13)
Problems are here to stay (John 6:33). They are custom made for each of us. “All things work together for good...” (Romans 8:28), people love to quote this Scripture to others who have troubles. But how many of us actually put it to the test? The common tendency is to question, “Why, God?” “Why, me?” When predicaments press in on us instead of loving God and trusting Him when things go wrong, we resort to self-pity. But feeling sorry for yourself gets you nowhere fast. Eventually, you become either discouraged or bitter against life and against God.
The first verse of Habakkuk tells us the frame of mind the prophet was in. (1:2-4), Habakkuk was not complaining against God, but rather to God. He knew that God was just in all He did. But he could not understand why God was allowing the situation to persist. He was in a sense saying, “How long will you allow the wicked to prosper? Why don’t you do something?” Somewhere along the way in each of our lives, we face this same question. Why does God allow righteous people to suffer and the wicked ones to go seemingly untouched by trouble? “It isn’t fair, we protest”.
In Psalm 73 is written an almost identical situation. What is the answer? (Ps. 73:17) The writer of this Psalm really thought he had a case against God. He fussed and fumed impatiently until finally God, in His quiet, loving way, said simply, “Look at the end of the story, and then you will understand.”
Often we ask, “Why me Lord?” This can be either a negative question, “Why do I have so much trouble?” When misfortune befalls us, we cry and pray and question. God may answer our questions, and He may not. He is not obligated to explain His actions to us (Rom. 9:20-21). However, there are times when God in His mercy chooses to answer our questions as He did Habakkuk. God even sends some things into our lives to cause us to question because He has a message for us. When things happen which we do not understand, we need to examine ourselves closely and listen intently for Gods voice. Lets consider a few reasons for “Why me?”
THE LAW OF THE HARVEST
When Israel, and later Judah, was invaded by the Babylonians, they were reaping the harvest they had sown. If we mistreat our bodies, we can expect sickness. A smoker dying with lung cancer need not ask, “Why me?” He should know. A drug addict in a mental institution should not question God. A Christian who married an unbeliever is only harvesting rebellion’s crop when that marriage falls apart. And we could add many more examples. So when trouble comes, before we question God, we need to question ourselves. “Is this the result of my actions? If so, where did I go wrong and how can I prevent it from happening again?”
TO GET OUR ATTENTION
A little boy was running through the house, laughing and playing. His mother called to him several times, but he did not hear her. Finally, as he came running by, she grabbed his arm. “Stop, listen to me.” We live in a busy world. From the time our feet touch the floor in the morning until we pull them onto the bed at night; there are a dozen things to do. To get our attention, God may have to slam a “stop sign” in front of us. It may be sickness, a broken relationship, a financial need. Whatever it may be, it stops our frantic rush and puts us on our knees. Then we hear the soft, loving voice of God, “Listen to me, I have something to tell you.”
TO BRING GLORY TO GOD
Seeing a blind man, Jesus’ disciples asked, “Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?” (John 9:1-2) They thought his affliction was the result of the law of the harvest. But Jesus said, “Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him” (Jn. 9:3). Lazarus’ death was for the glory of God (Jn. 11:4). From prison the Apostle Paul wrote to the Philippian church that his problems were designed to spread the gospel (Phil. 1:12-14). He saw the hand of God at work in his life. His affliction was furthering the work of God. Faith in God plays an important role in helping us maintain our spiritual balance when we walk through these dark, trying times for we often do not know until we come out on the other side if our trial brought glory to God.
TO PERFECT US
The potter may have to crush and remold a vessel several times before it pleases him. A seamstress may have to rip, trim, and alter a garment before it fits perfectly. A writer writes and rewrites before he is satisfied with his work. So the Lord often has to crush our pride, break our will, alter our attitude, trim our desires and rework our plans to perfect us. We may have to fall down before we look up. (I Peter 5:10).
FOR REASONS KNOWN ONLY TO GOD
There are times when we question, “Why me Lord?” and He answers, “Trust Me.” One lady who had been going through intense suffering taking chemotherapy treatments for cancer testified, “I asked God, Why not me?” And she gave praise to God for loving her and being with her through her suffering.
We find no record that Job was ever told why he suffered as he did. He question, “Why me?” He looked everywhere for the answer but it was hidden from him (Job 23:3-10). It is in situations such as Job’s that faith is purified. So often when we ask, “Why me, Lord?” the answer comes, “Wait until morning, then you will understand.” Some things we will never understand in this life. We have to trust God who does all things well and keep walking with Him (Isaiah 55:8-9).
A dog cannot understand why he is made to stay in a fenced yard, but still he is faithfully devoted to his master. A baby does not understand why he is given a measles shot, yet he continues to love his mother. As children of God we often cannot comprehend the ways of God, but we must keep trusting and praising Him.
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