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Sep 13, 2025 06:00am

Asking God “Why?” and Finding Peace in His Sovereignty

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When my daughter was around 4 years old, she would repeatedly ask “why?” Why is the sky blue? Why do birds sing? Why do I need to pick up my toys? Why are dinosaurs no longer alive? Why are vegetables good for me? Every day, multiple times, she asked why. I loved those years. She had questions, and her father and I were the source of all her answers.

I, too, have asked my Father why at times. Perhaps you have as well. There are questions about life, suffering, and pain that beg to be answered. Questions like:

Why did this tragedy happen?
Why is my marriage falling apart?
Why am I being persecuted?
Why am I sick?
Why are my finances in ruin?
Why did my loved one die?
Why, Lord, why?

Men and women have been questioning God for as long as humanity has existed. We live in a fallen world. We have all experienced hardship. Sickness, heartache, loss, disappointment, failure, and even untimely deaths understandably leave us asking why.

The book of Job gives us a glimpse into the sorrows of the afflicted. Job loved and feared the Lord, yet he suffered more than many could endure. He lost all his children, his wealth and livelihood, and eventually his health. Sitting destitute in sackcloth and ashes, Job questions everything. “Why did I not die at birth, come out from the womb and expire? For then I would have lain down and been quiet; I would have slept; then I would have been at rest.” (Job 3:11,13)

Job did not have the written Word of God to give insight, wisdom, and truth. He did not have a written explanation for the tragedies of this fallen world. He also did not fully understand the rest and peace that Jesus would one day bring. We are blessed with the written words of Christ: “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

However, Job had something to help him navigate his trials—a healthy fear of the Lord. In the book of Proverbs, God’s Word tells us that, “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge and wisdom,” (1:7, 9:10). It prolongs life (10:27), is a strong confidence (14:26), and is a fountain of life (14:27). The fear of the Lord brings honor (22:4) and should be praised (31:30).

Do you have a healthy fear of the Lord? How we respond when good things are taken from us reflects if we truly fear Him. Even though Job didn’t fully understand, he trusted God. He trusted the outcome and understood that our greatest trials are the forge that shapes our soul and reveals our truest strength. “But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold” (Job 23:10).

Even though Job had a healthy fear of the Lord and understood that the Lord gives and the Lord takes away, he still asks the Lord why this was happening to him. “Oh that one would hear me! behold, my desire is, that the Almighty would answer me…” (Job 31:35)

It’s okay to ask God why we go through fiery trials. However, we should also be okay with not fully knowing or understanding the answer. God didn’t directly answer Job’s questions. Instead, He responded in Job 38–41 with a series of approximately 70 rhetorical questions. Such as:

Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? (38:4)
“Who shut in the sea with doors when it burst out from the womb?” (38:8)
“Have you entered into the springs of the sea, or walked in the recesses of the deep?” (38:16)
“Have the gates of death been revealed to you?” (38:17)
“Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades or loose the cords of Orion?” (38:31)
“Do you give the horse his might?” (39:19)
“Have you an arm like God, and can you thunder with a voice like his?” (40:9)
“Can you put the wicked in their place?” (40:12–13)
“Can you draw out Leviathan with a fishhook?” (41:1)

In other words, God is God. He is sovereign, holy, different than mankind, and above all. He is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent. His knowledge is beyond our grasp. When we understand this, we are left, as Job, with nothing but humility, trust, and holy fear of the Creator. “Then Job answered the LORD, and said, I know that thou canst do everything, and that no thought can be withholden from thee. Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not. Wherefore I… repent in dust and ashes.” (Job 42:1-3,6)