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Not "Why?" - it's "Who."

There are a few words that startle us every time we hear them, almost literally invoking pain.

Car accident. Divorce. Cancer. Addiction. Fired.

These are just a few examples. I have heard a couple of these words in association with people I love dearly in the past several weeks. Even as someone who has called myself a believer for my entire life, I admit that the question “why?” has surfaced in my mind as I have processed these situations.

The answer, to these questions and to ANY question that’s really worth asking, is found in scripture.

I was convicted yet comforted when I recalled Acts 1:7, which says: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.” It is not my job to know why, nor do I have any reason to know why, things unfolded as they did. Having an intimate relationship with God does not mean that He is required to tell me everything. It means that I must trust Him, and that I can be at ease knowing that HE holds all knowledge.

In addition to not needing to know “why” things have happened, it is not my job to fix, heal, mend or resolve these situations.

So, what IS my job? My job is to have faith that God is sovereign. My job is to submit my fears about these situations to Him. It is my job to trust Him to do His job – to be God, the Lord.

I am humbled when I realize this truth. In fact, my mind does a total shift, and I am then lead to ask a completely different question from scripture: "Who am I, O Sovereign LORD, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?" (2 Samuel 7:17)

I have done nothing to deserve for “good” things to happen to me. Every single relationship, opportunity, and experience in my life is a gift that God has chosen to give me freely. He is a good God, a God who has rescued me and a God who provides for me in superabundant ways. He is completely trustworthy. Beyond being trustworthy, He is worthy of praise! Even in times of sadness or times when I am tempted to be angry or confused, I can remind myself who is in control and rest, even rejoice, in who He is.

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“My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.” (Psalm 121:2)

"Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.” (Jeremiah 32:17)

"The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else.” (Acts 17:24)

"For you have been my hope, O Sovereign LORD, my confidence since my youth." (Psalm 71:5)

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