WHY?

by an Old Disciple of Jesus Christ

“Why standest thou afar off, O LORD? why hidest thou thyself in times of trouble?”

(Psa. 10:1)

Someone has said, “It is alright to ask God a question, but not to question Him.” I read somewhere that there are over four hundred questions in the book of Job. “Why” is one of the biggest, littlest words in the English language. From early age down to grey hairs it is one of the most frequently used expressions in one’s vocabulary. Whether a person possesses a large or limited vocabulary, all are familiar with this small three letter word, from the intellectual to the illiterate.

A baffled David asks God, “Why?” Hurting Jeremiah asked Him, “Why?" And even the Son of Man, while hanging on the cross, cries out to His Father, asking, “Why.” Just because an answer is long in coming doesn’t mean your question will not be answered. It is always good to remember Jesus’ words to Peter when we become impatient in waiting for an answer, “What I do thou knowest not now. but thou shalt know hereafter.”

As the song writer who penned, “We’ll Talk it Over” says, “I’ll ask the reason, He’ll tell me why, when we talk it over in the by and by.” C.S. Lewis writes, “Heaven will solve our problems, but not, I think, by showing us subtle reconciliations between all our apparently contradictory notions. The notions will be knocked from under our feet. We shall see that there never was any problem.”