“Why me, Lord?” Have you ever asked God that question? “Why not pick somebody else for this? Why am I always the one going through the fire?”
In the good times we say, “Lord, I love You.” We quote, “Oh, in the volume of the book it is written of me I delight to do Your will, O Lord.” Then we add, “Father take me, mold me, use me. Take my life and let it be consecrated to Thee.”
We say all this until God asks us to do something or go through something that is very uncomfortable—something we have never done or experienced before.
Then, we start singing a different tune. “I’ve never passed this way before, Lord. It’s dark, and I’m not sure where I’m going. I can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. You’re making me step into the unknown.
“Yes, I know you’re holding my hand. Yes, I know You are more concerned about me than the many sparrows You carefully watch over. I know you have numbered the very hairs on my head. I know You will never leave me or forsake me, but Lord—I don’t know about this thing!”
“This thing doesn’t make any sense. This thing goes beyond my ability to understand. Why are you doing this, Lord? I’m going to trust you in it, but I don’t understand it. I can’t do this by myself. Carry me, Lord. Let me know You are with me in it.”
We have all experienced those times when our world falls apart. Nothing is working out as it should. We receive awesome prophetic words about future ministry, husbands, families, wealth—and get so excited! But just when everything seems to be going well, the bottom falls out. Our entire world is shaken.
We are lied about in ministry. Our husband has an affair with our best friend. A member of our family is diagnosed with a terminal disease. We realize we are trapped in a bad relationship we can’t dissolve. We lose our job and are facing eviction. Or, we become so sick ourselves that we want to die.
Have you ever been tempted in those times to ask, “Why me, Lord?”
I am sure Joseph must have been tempted this way. He knew His destiny was to rule—but he found himself at the bottom of a pit, discarded by his own brothers. Later, just when it appeared he was beginning to walk in purpose, he was consigned to prison—for rightly fleeing from his master’s wife when she tried to seduce him!
Do you think Joseph might have asked, “Why me, Lord?” and “Where are You in all this?”
Ah, but God had a higher purpose for Joseph. He was preparing him to save two nations.
We tend to see our circumstances through our natural eyes. We live in time and space, so we live in today. But God lives and sees in eternity. He sees the end from the beginning. He knows the outcome already. And He knows the plans He has for us—plans for good and not evil, to give us an expected end (see Jer. 29:11).
Those who stood at the foot of the cross on Calvary and watched Jesus die lived in agony for a time. Perhaps they asked, “Why, Lord?” Then they heard Him cry out, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Though Jesus prophesied His own resurrection, they did not understand and could not anticipate the eventual glorious outcome of this terrible scene.
Ah, but we know that God had a greater purpose for Jesus: to save the lost and reproduce Himself in a new creation called “the sons of God” who would be joint heirs with Him in God’s kingdom.
The Lord has allowed me to go through some intense spiritual warfare that caused me to ask, “Why?” I encountered situations that I had never had to face before. I felt lost and abandoned as I walked this unknown territory.
But God had not abandoned me. I discovered that there were areas of my life not yet yielded to His lordship. I had to totally abandon myself once again to His plan and purpose. In the process He did a deep work within me, and when I asked Him, “Why, Lord?” His response was simply, “For the greater purpose.”
Perhaps you are going through something you don’t understand. You are bombarded on every side with doubts, fears, and uncertainties. Know that you can trust God in and through your circumstances. Know that He has a plan for you, and the end result is good.
Even more important, know that there is a higher purpose you can’t see yet—one that may include your being the means of salvation for someone else. Just as Joseph was used to save two nations, and Jesus to bring salvation to the world, so the Lord will use you for His greater purpose.
You may not be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel, but you know the one who is holding that light! Are you willing to trust Him to lead you through? He will turn your trial around for your good—and answer your “Why, Lord?” by pointing to the fulfillment of His plans.
Prayer Power for the Week of May 20, 2018
This week, surrender yourself anew to the Lord and yield yourself to be used for His higher purpose. Thank Him that His plans for you are good and will bear much fruit for His kingdom. Pray for fellow Christians that are being persecuted for their faith. Continue to ask the Lord to send more laborers into His harvest fields and ask Him to show you what you can do to extend His kingdom. Continue to pray for our nation and its leaders, Israel and our allies, those serving in the military and first responders. Read Jeremiahs 29:11, Romans 8:28.
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