This is a question I hear many times.

For some of us as believers and faithful followers of the Faith, when we face challenges or difficult situations, the first question we ask is WHY ME ?

We have become convinced that life should be good all the time, we believe God should protect us from every hardship, big or small. God is good, so life should be good that’s what we believe . But at times life is not good.

 

A legendary African American tennis player of the 70’s who once held the number one ranking and won several tournaments including Wimbledon, was dying of AIDS which he got due to infected blood he received during a heart surgery in 1983. From all over the world, he received letters from his fans, one of which was :

Why does God have to choose you for such a bad disease?”

To this he replied:

In this world over 50 million children start playing tennis, 5 million learn to play tennis, 500,000 learn professional tennis, 50,000 come to the circuit, 5,000 reach the grand slam, 50 reach Wimbledon, 4 to semifinal, 2 to the finals. When I was holding the trophy I never asked God, Why me? So today in pain, I should not be asking God, Why me?

 

If you asked the question WHY ME when you was facing challenges, it was not just you, as we read in the Bible, some great men of God asked the same question.

 

Moses asked,

So Moses said to the Lord, “Why have You been so hard on Your servant? And why have I not found favor in Your sight, that You have put the burden of all these people on me?

 

David asked 

Why do You stand far away, Lord?
Why do You hide Yourself in times of trouble?

 

Job asked

Have I sinned? What have I done to You,
Watcher of mankind?
Why have You made me Your target,
So that I am a burden to myself?

 

The disciples asked

And His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?”

 

Jesus himself asked whilst on the cross as we read in

And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabaktanei?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

 

Yes MAGH we want to live the blessed  life as Jesus said in

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came so that they would have life, and have it abundantly. 

 

Yes Jesus said what he had come for , but we forget that He also told us as we read that "in this world, you will have trouble,

 

These things I have spoken to you so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

 

We forget that the great men of God had their share of struggles and grief and faced difficult circumstances. Sometimes they experienced struggles for decades before they saw God's plan come to pass in their life.

 

It is not wrong to ask God questions as we read in scriptures.

Job and David and even Jesus asked God why they were suffering or felt like they had been abandoned by God. And yet God loved those men very much. 

 

He called Job "righteous" 

The Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil.”

 

David "a man after His own heart" 

But now your kingdom shall not endure. The Lord has sought for Himself a man [a]after His own heart, and the Lord has appointed him ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.”

 

Jesus His "beloved son with whom He was well pleased"

and behold, a voice from the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

 

What did God do

He didn't always answer their questions, but He did let them know He was God, He was in control and He understood things they could not.

PRAYER 

HELP

Hear me Lord and answer me 

(let God know that you need him and want His help)

Establish  my steps in your word.
(ask God for His direction and for strength to stand firm in His promises.)

Let your compassion meet my needs.
( Ask God to help you focus on his compassion and grace in the midst of challenges.)

Protect me God because I take refuge in You. I say to the Lord, You are my Lord, apart from You I have nothing good.

 

It’s human nature that we go through our emotions , we don’t need an explanation, we need strength, we need comfort, we need support, we need our savior and his name is Jesus.

What we can do is the ask the what question 

What do you want me to learn from this journey/challenge/grief?

What good do you want to come from this? What testimony will I have from this?

 

Testimony 

Don’t ask Why me

Pray use me

 

God Bless