Why? 1

Matthew 27:46 (NIV)

About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?”(which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”)

The quest for answers is in-born in man, from the time a person gets to an age where they can reason they begin to ask questions like Why is the sky blue? Where do babies come from?And they will continue to ask questions till they die. There seems to be an insatiable desire to know the whys, ‘hows’, and ‘whats ’of life in the heart of man. The desire for knowledge and answers increases with age and I believe it was put in us by God. This desire is fundamentalto education and the socio cultural development of individuals, communities and nations. Parents begin to instil their values, culture and beliefs in their children from an early age as they provide answers about life, faith and God. When the child gets to school it is a continuation of finding answers.

While parents and education provide answers to many of life’s questions, we all know that a time comes when we have questions no one seems to be able to answer or which seem not to have answers. As a child I saw my mom as super woman she seemed to be in control of things and always knew what to do but as I grew I realised she was human like anyone else and therefore limited. The fact that people are limited in providing answers is more pronounced in times of loss and grief. Somehow no one has an answer to soothe our achinghearts; no one can tell us why our spouses, parents, children or other loved ones died. No one can tell us why it is us and not the next person. So such periods can be extremely difficult because we have questions racing through our minds with no answers.

When I lost my precious husband a number of people said things like ‘do not question God, Who are we mere men to question God, this is not the time for questions’. This may be true to an extent especially when my questions didn’t seem to be getting any answers. Howeverbefore I could process whether questioning God was right or not I would have asked so many questions in my heart.

Why? Is a natural response to pain and loss. Jesus was in agony as He hung on the cross in shame bearing the punishment for sins He didn’t commit and in the instant when God for the first time turned away from him the only natural response from his wounded body  grieving heart was My God, My God Why……?

This was Jesus fully God and fully man how much more you and i? The Bible says that His ways and thoughts are far from ours. They are higher and bigger but at the same time we are reminded that his plans for us are not evil but good to give us a future and a hope! Beloved if the questions come go ahead and ask, He is your father. But more importantly trust him even when you don’t have all the answers because he loves you deeply and is committed to your good.

Prayer

Lord Jesus I commit your precious child into your able hands. I ask that she find peace from being able to come before you with her questions and confusion. Help her to see beyond the pain to your love and goodness. Help her to trust you even when she doesn’t seem to have all the answers.