Why Doesn’t God Tell Me Why Something Happens

In review of Psalm 37:7 it says, "Surrender yourself to the Lord, and wait patiently for him. Do not be preoccupied with an evildoer who succeeds in his way when he carries out his schemes."

Bottom Line:

Instead of being envious of evil men who prosper, rest in the Lord and wait patiently for him to act.

What this means to me:

I am to learn to be patient and trust the Lord. I shouldn’t let it bother me when I see all going well for those who do sinful things and seem successful.

Psalm 37 is David’s feelings about how he needed to wait patiently for the Lord, while it seems wicked would go on to him or all around him. This really made it hard for him to be content.

I think I often struggle with contentment because I want and need explanation for why things happen. However, what I’m learning is that God won’t always tell me why. He likely doesn’t tell me because he’s testing me. In particular He’s testing me to see if I’ll will let go of control and just learn to be content, whether he explains it or not.

In reality, God doesn’t owe me an explanation for anything, besides I may not fully understand it even if he did. Even an explanation wouldn’t take away the pain. I probably won’t know why most things happened until I get on the other side of death. So I might as well get used to not getting an explanation. But one things for sure, he will test me.

When I find that God is silent in my life, it's probably a good indication that I’m going through a test. When I don’t hear God and he feels like a million miles away, that is a test!  Just like when  a teacher is silent when the students take a test, when I notice God is silent in my life, my faith is being tested. At this moment, will I let go of control, or will I grab onto it more tightly? Will I learn to be content?

The next time I go through struggles or pain, I’ll need to remember that I don’t really need God’s explanation. I only need God’s presence.

Therefore I should take David’s advice to heart, “Surrender yourself to the Lord, and wait patiently for him” (Psalm 37:7a GW).

Instead of asking God “Why?” I can ask for patient endurance and assurance that if I just follow what he has already told me that he will work all things out for my good.