Answers When You’re Asking Why Me God?

“Why me, God?” is a common question when life just doesn’t make sense or bad things happen. No one expects a carefree, perfect life. But sometimes life’s burdens are heavy, and we would like an explanation.

Have you ever thought that questioning God was wrong? Is there a verse in the Bible that says we shouldn’t question Him? If He loves me, why am I going through such hard times?

You are not alone if you have ever asked these questions. These are legitimate questions and concerns. Leaving them unanswered can lead to a crisis of faith, so let’s address them.

Is it Wrong to Question God?

God wants us to come to Him with our worries, concerns, and questions. I would say it shows the depth of your relationship when you know God listens and you are seeking His wisdom.

He most definitely does not want you to turn away from Him or question His love for you during the hard times!

Powerful emotions usually accompany hard trials. Anger, grief, loneliness, and fear are common, God-given human emotions.

Expressing them doesn’t cancel out our faith. Even Jesus felt anger, sadness, grief, exhaustion, and frustration.

It’s better to speak to Him about what we are feeling (He knows anyway!) so that we don’t become overwhelmed. We never have to question His love and care.

Who Questioned God in the Bible?

A better question might be- who didn’t question God in the Bible!

Let’s look at a few examples:

The Old Testament prophet Habakkuk questions God- he wanted answers! He cries out to God in the entire first chapter of his book.

I love his boldness and confidence in coming before God, which stemmed from his love for God’s people and hatred of the evil he saw happening all around him.

Here’s how his book begins:

“How long, O Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, ‘Violence!’, but you do not save? Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds.” Habakkuk 1:2-3.

God’s dealings with His people perplexed Habakkuk. He brings his honest doubts and questions to God.

God answers Habakkuk’s questions, and even though Habakkuk’s circumstances don’t change, he no longer has doubts or feels confused and frustrated.

Habakkuk never forgot God’s pure holiness and sovereignty and waited patiently for Him to give him answers. He asks God to reveal His power and glory in the situation. 

He didn’t let his complaints and concerns lead to doubt, but leaned on the strength of God.

What’s important to remember- we need to come before God as Habakkuk did- with humility and a willingness to hear what God has to say.

David Questions God

David was in a pit of despair, feeling completely alone and abandoned by God.

“How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart?” Psalm 13: 1-2.

God’s timeline was frustrating David, and he felt neglected by God. He believes God has forgotten him and was putting distance between them.

In times like these, we need to remind ourselves of what God has promised. His timing is perfect, He is with us always, His love for us is higher and deeper than we can ever imagine…

John the Baptist Questions Jesus

You are not alone if you are having doubts about your situation.

As John the Baptist sat in prison, he doubted in Jesus as Messiah. He sent word to Jesus with the question- “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” Matthew 11:3.

John was born to prepare the way for Jesus. His parents raised him to know this purpose and John carried it out splendidly. He baptized Jesus and saw the spirt of God descend upon Him.

And yet, when he ended up in prison, he began to question and doubt the works of God. But within his doubt, he did the right thing- he sent friends to Jesus to ask for His wisdom.

Asking God Questions

The list goes on and on. Mary questioned the angel of the Lord when told of her pregnancy. The disciples questioned Jesus on many fronts. Doubting Thomas questioned the validity of His resurrection. It seems to be part of our human nature.

Even Jesus questions His Father:

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Matthew 27:46.

 Jesus understood the Father’s plan of redemption and went willingly to the cross. But as He suffered a spiritual death- separated from His Father for the only time in His life- Jesus cries out in anguish.

This brings tears to my eyes. We never, ever have to wonder if Jesus loves us, or if He understands what we are feeling. He has been through it all.

 Don’t be afraid to ask “Why me, Lord?” He will give you what you need to work through your trials.

Job Questions God

Job’s suffering is a well-known Bible story. Even though Job loses everything and doesn’t understand why, he holds fast to what he knows about God.

He tells his wife and friends that God had blessed him, and God had taken away. If God permitted his trials, then they would work for good.

It wasn’t until his friends led him to believe he was reaping the unjust rewards from some misdeeds that Job questions God’s character.

Job’s friends erroneously believed that only good things happened to good people and bad things happened to bad people.

They thought Job was being punished for his sins when bad things happened.

Job despairs as his pain and suffering go on and on. At that point, he asks God to explain why he was suffering.

Like Job, we want answers when bad things pile on, especially when we are trying our best to be a good person and live for God.

Why Does God Allow Suffering?

This is a big topic, but let’s explore it a bit. The fall explains the causes of some of our suffering.

●Our heavenly Father gives us free will to accept or deny Him. He wants us to come to Him from a place of love. Suffering comes when we use that same free will to rebel against Him. 

We can make a poor choices or poor decision resulting in pain and suffering. We see things go south right away when Adam and Eve exercise their free will to do as they please.

●Sin contaminated God’s perfect world, leading to a curse on the land. Droughts, famine, floods, and other natural disasters happen daily around the world.

●We have contaminated and polluted God’s world with substances that cause diseases that bring suffering, disease, and death.

Pin me for later!

Why Me, Lord?

The story of Job deals at length with the purpose of suffering in our lives. It is just one of many stories where God tests His people to prove that our faith is real.

For example, God provided manna to the hungry Israelites “to humble and test them for their own good.” Deuteronomy 8:16.

He tested Abraham’s faith by asking him to sacrifice his only son.

This is not to give Him any information (He already knows), but to show us something about ourselves. Do we have enough faith in God? Do we trust the will of God and His plan for our lives?

Patience in Suffering

Job is a perfect example of how to live patiently through suffering.

Job lost everything, but knew everything had come from God in the first place. He never blamed God, but praised Him-

“The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” Job 1:22.

Then Job suffered from painful boils that caused fever and pain. What else besides a deep faith in God could cause Job to respond like this:

“Shall we accept good from God and not trouble?” Job 2:10.

Job Asking God Why

After more harsh assessments from his friends, Job goes straight to God (great move!) He wants answers and asks God why-

“Why have you made me your target? Have I become a burden to you? Why do you not pardon my offenses and forgive my sins?” Job 7:20b-21a.

God answers Job in a different way than you would think. In Chapters 38- 41:34, God asks Job a series of questions. His purpose in asking them was to show Job a glimpse of His creative power, knowledge, mind, and character.

In essence, who was Job to question the Creator?

Job’s faith took a giant step with this conversation. He realized the magnificence of God’s glory, and his wrong attitude towards God.

He now understood that God is in control of everything and submits to Him with a humble heart.

God wants to develop our faith, and sometimes it comes by enduring life’s inevitable sufferings.

The Psalmist tells us that our trials refine us like silver (Psalm 66:10) The heat of trials leave us purified and precious.

Trials help us grow into strong disciples for Him, learning to trust Him completely.

Do Not Question God Bible Verse

Now maybe you’re thinking, wait a minute… isn’t there a verse about not questioning God?

You would be right, but its context pertains to questioning God’s sovereignty.

God speaks through the prophet Isaiah 45:11-12.

“Concerning things to come, do you question me about my children, or give me orders about the work of my hands? It is I who made the earth and created mankind in it. My own hands stretched out the heavens; I marshaled their starry host.”

He created it all- His motives, plans, and character are always pure and perfect.

The Parable of the Potter and the Clay gives us a clear visual. The Potter molds each lump of clay into what pleases Him and for the purpose He intends.

Should the clay be upset with the work of the potter?

God will not answer questions that attack His character, are insincere, or come from a bitter or rebellious heart.

On the other hand, He invites us to come to Him with genuine interest in His answers and seek His guidance with a humble heart.

God, Why Is This Happening to Me?

We will never know the mind of God, so there may be times when we do not receive a satisfactory answer.

What we do know is that He walks beside us in all our pain and sorrow; going through it with us.

Jesus tells us, “In this world, we will have trouble.” John 16:33. That sounds like bad news, but in reality, it is a promise. It lets us know what to expect. Hard circumstances shouldn’t come as a surprise.

The bright side is that He follows up with, “But take heart! I have overcome the world!” He spoke these words to give us peace, comfort, and strength within our troubles.

James also assures us we will face trials and encourages us to keep a positive outlook because of what these trials can produce in our lives:

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of various kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” James 1:2-4.

Sometimes we feel like our pain will never end. Peter gives us a new perspective:

“In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation.” 1 Peter 5:10 NLT.

Questions for God 

●Instead of asking God “why me,” perhaps better questions are, “how can I grow through this trial?”, or “what do you want me to learn?”

●Ask Him if He is protecting you from something or has something better to give than what you have lost.

●Or we could ask, “Why not me?” It shouldn’t surprise us when we suffer through trials of all kinds. This question helps us focus on others instead of ourselves. 

Use your trial and the things we learned about God to help others. There are many hurting people that need someone to come alongside them with love and care, just as He does with us.

God, Be With Me!

Life’s circumstances are not always fair. Bad things happen to good people.

But our loving Father doesn’t want us to just plod through our trials with heavy hearts. He wants us to lean on Him; allowing Him to console us and guide our steps. Consider these truths:

●We have the Holy Spirit to help us through our trials. He will strengthen and sustain us; helping us carry our burden.

●When we don’t even have words to pray, the Holy Spirit prays for us “with groans that words cannot express.” Romans 8:26. He will search your heart and bring perfect intercession for you.

●Part of living our life here on earth is keeping our eyes on heaven with an eternal perspective. We are only passing through this life with all it’s pain and struggles.

●Our enemy wants us to dwell on the difficulty of our struggles and lose trust in God. He would love it if we stop communicating with God and turn to worldly comforts. 

The Apostle Paul, however, tells us to “set our hearts on things above.” Colossians 3:1. Jesus is on His throne- connect your thoughts and heart to Him when you are overwhelmed. Pour everything out to Him and search His Word for truth and comfort.

●Keep asking questions and claiming God’s promises. Keeping your eyes on Jesus and in faith, let Him lead you through your trial, in His way, in His time.

Blessings of Comfort,

AnnMarie

All Scripture is taken from the NIV unless specified otherwise.

Photo Credit: Canva