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Asking God Why by Jessica Sheets Do you ever have one of those moments of asking God "what IN THE WORLD is up with that?" I had a really big one a couple of weeks ago after hearing about a 3 year old little boy who had been accidentally run over and killed. Some things I can somewhat understand. We live in a fallen, evil world, and terrible things happen as a result. But what about these freak accidents? That little boy didn't die as a result of someone's sin or some natural disaster or a childhood cancer that strikes randomly. He died because of a complete accident...an accident that could have been prevented. So, God, what IN THE WORLD is up with that?? Now, God and I have been through things like this enough that I believe He knows I don't mean to be disrespectful. I've had my times of really wanting to "tell God what I think" about something, but instead I just keep it all inside and don't talk to Him for days. I believe He would much rather me shake my fist toward heaven and tell Him how I feel. He knows anyway, and this at least keeps the lines of communication open. So I question Him...often. But the key to questioning God is whether or not we stick around for His answer. Of course, we can always think about Job when we are wondering "why." But I think our view of God and Job is probably a little off. Job questions why things have happened, and God responds by telling Job to "brace himself," and asking Job some questions. I used to view God's response to Job as a "fire down from heaven" kind of response. But I don't think God is upset with Job. I think God is saying, in essence, "Hang on, Job; we're going for a ride, and you're gonna see some things about me that you've never seen." So God starts showing Job (Jeopardy style...all statements in the form of a question) just exactly how BIG He is. I mean, for four chapters, God goes on and on (in a good way) reminding Job of all the things He has done...all the power He has. Now, I don't believe God shows His "bigness" just to humble Job or make him stop questioning. I say this because of Job's response when God finished talking. He said, "my ears had heard of you, but now my eyes have seen You" (Job 42:5). Ladies, there is a HUGE difference between knowing about God and SEEING Him. (And sometimes, I flip back and forth between the two on a daily basis!) But after Job went through the "ride" with God, not only did God seem much bigger, but his problems seemed much smaller. And-read the book-he had some pretty gigantic problems. But he also had a pretty gigantic God. And though he didn't have a solution to the death of his family, bankruptcy, or the boils on his body, he now understood that He had a God that was infinitely bigger than any of that. And if His God can "lay the foundation of the earth" or "give orders to the morning," then He can surely handle the problems that come his way. Don't get me wrong — I still have my issues, and I often tend to move from asking "why" to asking "how." But I know that if I knew "how" God was going to work, then I would ask " when." And on and on my questions would go. And if I had all the answers, there would be no need for me to trust and walk daily with Him. So he usually gives me just enough to keep me on my knees...and that is a good place to be! Because that is where the intimacy grows and we can say, "now my eyes have seen you!" So don't be afraid to ask God why...just sick around the see what He has to say. And "brace yourself," 'cause you're in for a ride!