Is it OK to ask “Why?”

Any parent of young children has probably heard the question “Why?” repeatedly. They  hear it thousands of times—well, that may be an exaggeration. That question sometimes seems to be nonstop, though, when you have little ones at home.

“It’s time for bed.”

“Why?”

“It will be hot today.”

“Why?”

“Supper isn’t ready yet.”

“Why?”

The examples are endless. As former Yankee catcher Yogi Berra quipped, “I wish I had an answer to that because I’m tired of answering that question.”

Since the “why” questions can be so annoying to us, we might assume that God also gets annoyed if we ask Him “why” too often. This may surprise you, but the question “Why?” appears at least 420 times in the Bible. At least we know that God is used to hearing that question.

As I studied the “whys” in the Bible, I discovered something interesting. God doesn’t appear to be aggravated by a “why” as long as that question leads to a helpful answer. Psalm 10 is a good example.

David’s life was in danger because some wicked people were trying to hunt him down and kill him. In desperation David cried out to God and asked, “Why do You stand afar off, O Lord? Why do You hide Yourself in times of trouble?” (Psalm 10:1). David then went on to describe the arrogance and pride of his enemies (see verses 2-11). In the remainder of the Psalm, David found three important truths that helped satisfy his “why” questions.

First, David reminds himself of who God is. Notice how he points out that God is powerful and eternal. “The Lord is King forever and ever; nations have perished from His land” (Psalm 10:16). When life gets difficult, it is important to know that God has eternally ruled over His own creation. That means it would be impossible for Him to make a mistake or to forget anything or anyone. Sometimes we answer our children’s “why” questions by saying, “Because I said so.” Although that may not always be our best response, it is always a good answer when Almighty God speaks.

We may never fully understand why God does some of the things that He does, but we can always know that He is firmly in control of everything.

By the way, the question “Why” has no meaning for an atheist. He has no one to ask the question to! For a believer, on the other hand, “Why?” always finds its ultimate answer in God.

The poet Annie Johnson Flint put it like this:

I know not, but God knows;

Oh, blessed rest from fear!

All my unfolding days

To Him are plain and clear

Each anxious puzzled “Why?”

From doubt and dread that grows,

Finds answer in this thought:

I know not, but He knows.

David then expressed his conviction that God does listen to the cries of those who humbly seek Him. “O Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble…” (Psalm 10:17a). In another passage the Bible tells us to, “Seek the Lord, all you humble of the earth…seek righteousness, seek humility….” (Zephaniah 2:3).

Instead of waiting for God to DO something when we are going through a hard time, we should look for ways to get to know Him better. As Jesus said, “seek first