Why God? Why do I have to suffer? Why do I feel like you are so far away? Jesus asked these same questions.
Matthew 27:45-47
“At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. At about three o’clock, Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”
I have always loved this passage because Jesus is in pain and He asks God “Why have you abandoned me?” I feel like it gives me permission to ask God the questions that are on my heart when I am struggling with His plans. I am a big picture person, and I really like to know the Why behind everything I do. If I don’t have a clear vision of what we are doing, and how it is important to my calling and my life, I won’t do it. But, sometimes God does something I wasn’t expecting Him to do.
I struggle with it for a while until I have started to see a glimpse of the why behind it. I also have to realize that God isn’t obligated to tell me His grand plan. He just wants me to trust that there is one.
Jesus asked God to try to find another way to accomplish His plan, one that didn’t involve so much suffering. But God made Him go through with the original plan because He knew it was the only way. I don’t believe God abandoned Jesus, but Jesus sure felt that way.
There is also another reason that Jesus said this from the cross. He is referencing Psalm 22 which begins with the phrase “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” It is a clue for his followers to see that what was happening was fortold long ago.
Later in Psalm 22 reads,
“They have pierced my hands and feet. I can count all my bones. My enemies stare at me and gloat. They divide my garments among themselves and throw dice for my clothing.”
It was a way of pointing to His purpose, fulfilling prophecy. He was reminding himself, and us, of WHY.
We are in a season of suffering from this pandemic, we are asking God WHY He is letting this happen. The longer I pray about this, the more I see God working it for good. One verse that helps me with the “why” of the corona pandemic is this one..
2 Co 1:9 “ Indeed, we felt like we had received the sentence of Death, but this happened so that we might not rely on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. He was delivered us from such a deadly peril, and He will deliver us again.”
I think it is neat that God even told us where to look in the Bible for answers CoVid 19 looks a lot like the Bible reference 2 Co 1:9) God may not answer the full why of our questions, but there is evidence everywhere if we will look for it.
Check out this amazing song by Austin French called "Why God"
How have you seen God working things for good during this time of isolation and sickness?
-Deborah King