Answering The Question, ‘Why?’

Word-Of-The-Day: ‘(12b) <Paul writes in his Epistle to Philippi> …continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, (13) for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill His good purpose.’ (Philippians 2:12b-13)

We always seem to be in one sense very blessed and then in the same breath cursed.  Sometimes both can be true at the same time; there is a blessing that our bills our paid and that we are healthy, but then there are issues like items breaking down, such as our water softener needing to be replaced or an unexpected car repair that suddenly pops up. 

The perception seems to be that these things happen at the worst moment possible, when time or money is short – the car won’t start and you’re supposed to be at the doctor’s office in 30 minutes, for example, or a hurricane pops up when you’re away on vacation visiting the kids up north.  It is hoped these ‘curses’ would schedule their occurrences with us, so we can place them on our calendar.  I have yet to have any appliance or automobile provide me the decency to let me know when they are going to stop working.

Really, the curses are not always curses but are reminders of how blessed we truly are.  We take for granted the blessing of having a car until the car quits running, or that we take for granted the blessing to have reliable power until the power goes out for a couple of days.  Sometimes, we are in situations that are not temporary inconveniences or circumstances but are more permanent in impact.  The grumbling of the loss of power we may endure for a few days, pales in comparison to those whose homes were swept away by storm surge on the coast or by raging floodwaters in Appalachia. 

Those people may indeed be in a cursed situation, though many still find the blessings in their plights.  They find themselves connected with their loved ones and neighbors, helping each other out.  Finding themselves alive and in good health despite losing possessions, they realize they are blessed by being alive while many around them are gone.  The Lord blesses them with a strength they did not know they possessed; it is often in bad situations that we find out how much God is working in our lives and how close He is to us, in His guidance and provisions. 

The question that seems to be eternal when these situations come is one word: ‘Why?’  Why are we so blessed, but others suffer?  Why do things seem to go right for “them”, but bad for me and/or my family?  The answer is simply a one-word response, ‘Because.’  Because it falls in line with God’s Plans; His plans for history, His plans for Creation, His plans for Salvation, His plans for completing His work.  The ‘Why’ is a question often asked out of worry or concern of self, and it is not always bad to consider the question, but should not be dwelled upon as an issue of fairness, but should be viewed more as a question of evaluation to adjust. 

Not all things that happen is due to fairness or evaluation; sometimes the ‘Why’ is simply placed upon someone who can handle the situation.  The Lord sometimes puts you into situations that you can best handle, or to learn from.  It also may be a learning tool, to learn it is not you who handles these situations, but the solution and strength comes from the Lord.  Some ‘macro’ situations may fulfill God’s Plans as we draw closer to Jesus’ return.  The war in Ukraine and the conflicts currently surrounding Israel are some of those occurrences that God knew would happen before Creation began.  They happen because it is simply in God’s Will to happen.

The important thing to draw from this is in verse 12, ‘continue to work’ for Jesus, in His Gospel and performing His Great Commission, to honor Him and to show your obedience to Him.  God will in return use you in His will and purpose to fulfill what He needs done through you.  Don’t set expectations above what you need, or compare what God provides you to what He provides others.  In the end, it is not material or physical attributes that make up your eternal treasure, it is your Spiritual treasure of how obedient you were to follow Jesus and His Word.