We live in a world where so much is happening around us to bring discouragement to our souls. Almost endlessly, the news cycle spews out bad events happening around the world. It always seem as if there is a factory churning out these bad events; from people being killed in shootings to deaths caused by nature.
It can be overwhelming being at the receiving end of these events day in and day out and many are desperate for answers to questions like, ‘Why are these things happening?’ and “what can be done to prevent these things from re-occurring”
These are really difficult questions to answer and we won’t be the first ones to ask these questions. Most of the Psalms was written by David and in Psalms 10 he asks, “Why, Lord, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak, who are caught in the schemes he devises.
He boasts about the cravings of his heart; he blesses the greedy and reviles the Lord. In his pride the wicked man does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God.” (Psalms 10: 1-4)
Does this sound familiar? Don’t we shake our heads in wonder when we encounter people full of pride with no regards for God or man? I can identify with David’s frustration in verse 5 and 6, “His ways are always prosperous; your laws are rejected by him; he sneers at all his enemies. He says to himself, ‘Nothing will ever shake me.’ He swears, ‘No-one will ever do me harm.” To be honest, I have often wondered and still wonder till this day, why some people seem to prosper in spite of their publicly corrupt and wicked lifestyles.
In asking these questions, David was not challenging God but rather honestly asking questions that were baffling him. He did not understand why God seemed to be aloof or distant when things were not going well. We all go through times of trouble and if you haven’t, you soon will, it is a given as long as you have made the decision to give your life to Jesus and choose to do His will. Don’t we wonder why we’ve suffered a job loss, the loss of a loved one or just been given a devastating news concerning our health? If you have asked the question, “why me?” You are not alone.
The real question is, what answers are we expecting and what do we expect to do with the answers? We can take a cue from David. After he had asked all those questions in Psalms 10, in verse 16, He declared, “The Lord is King Forever; the nations will perish from His land. You Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed, so that mere mortals will never again strike terror”
David got it in the end. He understood that God was not standing afar off but rather He is with us in our times of trouble. He knew God is the one who encourages us in our times of trouble. No wonder he declared in Psalms 46: 1, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble”. We expect God to take all troubles away from us so that we can have a trouble-free life but we can see from David’s declaration that it does not always work that way. Sometimes God does deliver us from trouble but in other cases, He provides help for us in the midst of trouble. How awesome it is to know that when we are going through that difficult situation, God is right there with us!
So if you are asking why things are the way they are in our world today and wondering why it seems God isn’t doing anything, you are not alone. The questions you are asking now have been asked for a millennia and if the Lord delays His return, people will still be asking those questions many years from now.
The key is to come to the understanding that no matter what may be happening around us, God remains King over all. He chooses when to intervene directly or when to come alongside to help us through those difficult times. Whatever happens, it’s a win-win situation because God is there for us no matter what.
