Why?

“Why? Because the Master won't ever
   walk out and fail to return.
If he works severely, he also works tenderly.
   His stockpiles of loyal love are immense.
He takes no pleasure in making life hard,
   in throwing roadblocks in the way.” Lamentations 3:31-33 The Message 

I just hate asking God “Why?” Yet I ask him “why” more often than I care to admit even to myself...I ask it without even realizing I have done so. Every time life throws another hard punch to my heart...I can’t seem to stop myself from simply wondering and asking...”Why Lord, Why?”  

How patient the Lord is in my queries..and never have I felt admonished for asking. His comfort calms my restless spirit and the riches of His wisdom feeds my aching soul in the Scriptures. 

Almost always when life has become so hard and I just can’t wrap my mind around any conceivable answer for why this has to be happening...I will uncover in the Scriptures a jewel that sparkles light onto God’s nature and ways. Where God’s character shines everything else (no matter how devastating or troublesome) becomes a shadow of what it once was.

That’s what happened the other day when I read Lamentations 3:31-33 in The Message translation. 

“Because the Master won't ever
   walk out and fail to return.”   

It’s true...sometimes it feels like God has left us!  There may be times in the midst of our greatest heartaches that the presences of God seems to be missing...we call out in prayer...but we hear no reply. It’s comforting to know that when it feels like the Lord has “walked out”...He will never fail to lift our doubting spirit with the return of His presence!
 

“...Because the LORD your God is the one who marches with you. He won’t let you down, and he won’t abandon you.” Deuteronomy 31:6b (CEB)

This life will always have times of trials and affliction. I have taken my greatest steps in faith during trying trials and learned to place all my trust in God through heartbreaking afflictions. In each one...God proved faithful and conquered my greatest fear by always paving the path for my next step with His own. When we have fallen He lifts us to our feet with His strong arms holding us nearer to His heart...He is faithful and true..never abandoning us...no matter how fierce the fight. 

“If he works severely, he also works tenderly.” 

                                                                                                                                   I know God holds the power to make all my troubles (and yours too) disappear if He would only choose to do so. Yet, whether they end or they persist...our severe troubles are always held with tenderness in His Hands. God is always at the work of molding us into the image of His son Jesus. God is always "tenderly" at work. 

”His stockpiles of loyal love are immense.”

And God's loyal love is in stockpiles that are immense! What an image! God is a loving God...and His love is loyal and unfailing. He doesn’t take pleasure in my life being hard or in the roadblocks that slow down my progress in living the surrendered life. And, He takes no pleasure in your life being hard either. No...even when we most deserve His hand to reach from a stockpile of wrath and rejection...He reaches instead from his immense stockpile of loyal love and gives us immeasurable love. 

God’s answer to my “why” was His giving me a glimpse of His heart...Perhaps, like me, you will discover as I did a better reason than answer for our “Why?”.

Glory...

Kathy