When Answers Aren't Enough

Isaiah 38:16-17 O LORD, by these things men live; and in all these things is the life of my spirit; so You will restore me and make me live. Indeed it was for my own peace that I had great bitterness; but You have lovingly delivered my soul from the pit of corruption, for You have cast all my sins behind Your back.

There are people out there who, when looking at my life or listening to my words, will shake their heads, and with a “tsk tsk,” say to themselves, “He’s a pretty good guy, but he really is confused about truth.” In our age of cynicism, of ‘personal truth’ above all else, the reality of faith is not only confusing, but distasteful to many who, for whatever reason, try to find their own path.

“Well, Jesus might be good for you, Chris, but I just can’t see things that way.” Perhaps the biggest challenge to faith that I’ve encountered is this: If God is God, and God is love, why do bad things happen to good people?

Today, people want a cut-and-dried, one sentence answer to their questions when that is impossible. If you’re looking for me to answer that question in one paragraph, you’re better off looking somewhere else (I will tell you, however, that you might find plenty of wrong answers, but you’ll never find the right one). You see, a simple answer to this question does not exist. The reason? Our minds are finite, and no matter our pursuit of “truth,” our comprehension is limited, no matter how bright we think we are.

Recently there have been several situations in which the hand of the Lord has been greatly apparent to me. In this verse we see the following phrase: “. . . it was for my own peace that I had great bitterness . . .” When bad things happen, people often ask why God is doing this to them. They don’t have the answer.

Well, God doesn’t hurt people. This life is filled with tragedy and pain, and whether you have a relationship with the Lord or not, everyone experiences some difficult times. But through those rough patches, God speaks to us, shows us what we need to know for our own peace.

Too often, however, the scream of heartache drowns out the still, small voice of God. Even though we don’t understand and we don’t know why things happen, God has not abandoned His children. He is still there, leading and guiding them away from destruction and despair, and toward the peace that can only be found in Him.

During these times, we sometimes feel that God is punishing us for some transgression we’ve committed against Him. While there are consequences we must reap according to the seeds we’ve sown, when we give our hearts to Christ, all our past sins and corruption are wiped out, forgiven and forgotten by God. God merely uses the ups and downs of human existence to show us just how much He loves and cares for us, how sufficient His grace truly is, and that we always have a friend in Him.

We all have to go through some painful times, but remember that if you know the Lord, He is not fighting against you, but giving life to your soul through His love and grace. Allow Him to refresh and restore you during these times, listen intently for His still, small voice, and accept that peace He promised His children.


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