He (Jesus) came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” Jesus replied, “You do not realize what I am doing, but later you will understand.” “No” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet .” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet, but my hands and my head as well!” John 13: 6-9, NIV.
Dear LORD, there are so many things that we do not understand, now. But by faith we believe, that someday, we will understand. In the name of Jesus we claim the fulfillment of this prayer. Amen and Amen.
Why, Lord? Why me? Why this way? Do you recognize your question among these three basic questions? There could be slight variations, but these are some of our most basic questions. Why do people ask questions? The most obvious answer is, “Because they want answers to situations, problems, and pain, that they do not understand! And that sometimes does not make sense to them. Why did my child have to die? Why did I have to come down with this rare, and terrible, disease? Why did our marriage of so many years have to end this way? These are not easy questions to answer, because the answers are not obvious.
There are some situations that are difficult, and we ask questions, but even while we are asking the question, we already know the answer. “Why did I lose my job at just the time I needed it the most?” Because they caught you stealing! The person is in a difficult situation, (he or she lost their job at a time of financial hardship, but they know the reason why – they were caught stealing!) The questions we are talking about do not fall into this category. They are categorized as senseless tragedies! There are no sensible, logical, easy to understand, reasons, to some of life’s questions. Therefore, my friends, do not try to give an answer in situations, where God, Himself, decides to be silent!
The story of Job falls into this category. There was no logical reason for Job to be suffering the losses he was suffering. All of his children, cut off in a single senseless tragedy? All of his property destroyed without warning? A man who had obviously enjoyed good health all his life, now, from one moment to the next, he is so sick that his lifetime friends do not even recognize him? How could something like this make sense? Especially to Job and his wife! He seemed resigned at the beginning, but then came the questions! His wife was obviously too hurt to be resigned! For her, at the moment of her unbearable pain, she felt that it would have made more sense to just curse God, and receive the punishment of death, which, at the moment, would have been more merciful than the pain she was feeling. Thank You merciful God, for not condemning her! Thank You for remembering that we are dust!
But even though to Job and his wife, there were no logical answers to their questions, we who are watching their story, after the fact, know things that they, perhaps, never found out! While they were suffering they were not aware that God would bestow all that they had lost. Not that that would have eased the pain. They did not understand what was happening at the time, and I do not know just how much they understood after. But Job’s words give us a clue, that something had been gained from his experience. He declared: “My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you” (Job 42: 5, emphasis provided). Perhaps some of us are going through situations that do not make any sense at all to us. It may be, we are watching loved ones suffer; and their suffering seem so unnecessary. Why, Lord? Maybe we will not receive an answer that make sense, today, but one day, God will make it plain to you, and me, when our eyes behold Him! Until then, let us continue to be faithful!