AMY LARSON
Staff Writer
Sometimes when certain things happen, we find ourselves asking why. What’s more, we find ourselves blaming God, accusing Him of raining on our parade, breaking our hearts, or shattering our dreams.
We tell God that our way of things would have been better, that He doesn’t know the situation, must not care about the person like we do.
I was tempted to feel this way recently. Seeing the fire blaze through our town and through the state was not only terrifying, but remarkably frustrating.
We were so helpless, simply watching the television news coverage and waiting.
Sunday morning, as I sat in the cafeteria with so many of my fellow classmates, I knew I was not the only one with these questions. They were only multiplied when I heard the news about Malibu Presbyterian Church. This church, which I have sat in more times than I can count, was a home to so many of us here at Pepperdine – faculty, staff, and students alike. It was a refuge, a community. It’s four walls have housed many memories, hopes, and sacred times. It was when I considered all of this that I became frustrated at God; how could this happen?
Talking about all of this to my peers was good – so many of them had much more positive outlooks, and so much wisdom to share.
In the midst of my chaotic mindset, I was reminded that God knows all – past, present, future.Talking to others also reminded me that the church I was mourning was not really gone at all – the people, the love, the true essence of what church is – were just as present in the Waves Café as they were in the beautiful building on Malibu Canyon Road.
It was not the structure that gave the congregation meaning – far from it; it was, instead, the congregation that gave the structure its significance.
The fire is only one – very recent – example, but asking “Why?” of life is a common scenario. Though we may not know exactly what our future holds, we can take solace in the fact that God’s Spirit is right alongside us all the time.
God knows our hearts, and knows our needs before we even ask (Matthew 6:8). “He knows us far better than we know ourselves…. That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good” (Romans 8:27-28).
God knows infinitely more than we do, cares infinitely more than we do, loves infinitely more than we do. We can rest in the fact that even when our world seems to be in chaos, God brings peace (Philippians 4:7).
Even when we make a mess of our own lives, God loves us (1 John 4:8) and has plans for our future that bring hope (Jeremiah 29:11). God sees the future when we are stuck in the trouble, the uncertainty, the questions, of the present. God never promised us that following Him would bring a perfect, trouble-free life.
But He does promise us that even when we walk through the worst of times, we don’t have to be afraid of what surrounds us (Psalm 91). We can live with the truth that God knows the answers to all of our “Why?” questions before we even ask them – even if for one reason or another He sometimes chooses not to let us know them.
Once we realize that, we can learn to know, love and trust Him more and more.
11-01-2007
