One afternoon a little girl I was babysitting developed a fascination with the word, “Why?” For each answer that I gave to her “whys”, she followed with another, “But why?” This continued for several minutes until my babysitter-patience ran out and I surrendered with, “I don’t know why, that’s just how it works.” You may know of the age when kids become…might I say, obnoxiously curious. Our adult minds may become annoyed at a certain point, but don’t we still possess a level of curiosity ourselves?
Curiosity, questioning, and even doubts are part of human nature, no matter your age. Yet as we grow, our questions become deeper, messier, and more painful. At four we ask our mother, “why do dogs bark?” but at forty we ask God, “why did you let them die?”
Doubting God is like the thorn in the flesh, the pesky cough that won’t go away, the back pain that nothing seems to help, the debt that keeps accumulating. No one desires it, but it feels inescapable. Especially when the circumstances of life make us question God’s goodness, plans, and even presence. How can we trust in who God is when life does not make sense?
In the Bible, Job experiences severe suffering in which he loses everything, including his family. Christians will sometimes reference Job to those enduring hardship, saying, “Look at Job, he had everything taken from him and did not curse God, and God restored him double.” But are God’s decisions to bless or take away merely based on our ability to please Him? Don’t the wicked receive blessing just as the righteous, and the righteous receive pain just as the wicked-at least on this side of eternity? Both those who love God, and those who don’t are subject to the broken state of this fallen world. Job wrestles with this complexity in 21:23-26,
One person dies in full vigor,
completely secure and at ease,
well nourished in body,
bones rich with marrow.
Another dies in bitterness of soul,
never having enjoyed anything good.
Side by side they lie in the dust,
and worms cover them both. (NIV).
Wow, Job, that’s dark. Is that how we find peace...we accept that sin brought brokenness into the world and that suffering does not play favorites? Let’s take a step back. I don’t write this to solve the issue of suffering, but I do write this to point hurting people to their Loving Father. Look what happens at the end of the book of Job. God speaks,
Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm. He said. . .
“Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?
Tell me, if you understand.
Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!
Who stretched a measuring line across it?
On what were its footings set,
or who laid its cornerstone— . . .
“What is the way to the abode of light?
And where does darkness reside?
Can you take them to their places?
Do you know the paths to their dwellings?” (Job 38:1,4-6, 19-20).
God continues for four lengthy chapters, revealing to Job his infinite power, wisdom, sovereignty, omnipotence, dominance, and provision. Through beautiful imagery, God shows Job the intricacies of creation and order of the universe that is incomprehensible to human mind. The thoughts and actions of God are so great that we cannot conceive them. How does Job respond?
“I know that you can do all things;
no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?’
Surely I spoke of things I did not understand,
things too wonderful for me to know. (Job 42:2-3).
Perhaps Job’s story is less about his suffering and more about the sovereignty of God. Even as Job experiences the lowest of lows, God’s power is not lessened. God’s sovereignty is not shaken, and his might is not weakened. His love is not dulled, and his greatness does not decrease. His rule over the enemy is not reversed and his mercy towards his people does not run out. This same is true for us.
Amid doubting God, we can cling to a hope that Job could not see. Jesus Christ. This is where peace is found. We are living in the fulfillment of Job’s words in 19:25, “I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth.” The Redeemer has come, and his name is Jesus. Because of Him we will see the Lord in glory, where “‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Rev. 21:4).
While the pain of life can bring us to question the character and actions of God, we can find comfort knowing that Christ is the Suffering Savior, and He identifies with our afflictions. We do not always know why things happen but knowing that God is still on the throne and Jesus is our ultimate hope is the anchor that we have for our souls. Think back to the girl that asked me “why” again and again. Unlike me, God is not annoyed or angered by our questions. He comes close, takes us by the hand and says, “. . . neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate” you from my love that is in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:38-39). Let us hold our questions with an open hand, for when we enter glory, they shall fall to the ground as we raise our arms to finally embrace our King.
This post was written by Lacey Woodall, Student Ministries + Adult Ministries Intern (Summer 2024)