These past few weeks have been weeks of confusion and, dare I say, chaos. One day, I was living in my dorm, and within a week, I was told to pack up everything and leave campus. These past weeks have been full of highs and lows, but I would say mainly lows, at least for myself. We are living in a time of extreme uncertainty and a time which our parents and even grandparents haven’t experienced. I go to Walmart and see the shelves empty of bread, canned goods and toilet paper. Stores are closing early, gyms are closing their doors for weeks and our churches are canceling services.
I imagine the biggest question many Christians are asking is “Why?” Why would God allow this chaos and disorder, why would He separate me from my friends and why would He put more stress in my life? After all, God is not a God of chaos (1 Corinthians 14:33).
If we look to Job, we can see similar chaos brought upon him. Job, a man who feared God and was blessed, had everything taken away from him in an instant. To the credit of Job, he still praised God at first but, much like I have done in my own life, he questioned God and wanted God to justify Himself. To most people, it would make sense to question God. After all, Job did nothing wrong. He loved and followed God but still, everything was taken from him. How was that fair?
When we ask God something, one of two things will happen: we might not hear anything, or He will respond. Now, in Job’s case, God responded in a big way (Job 38). Instead of answering Job’s questions, God told him to man up and asked Job the questions, saying, “Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare, if thou hast understanding.Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? Or who hath stretched the line upon it?Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? Or who laid the cornerstone thereof,” (Job 38:4-6 KJV).
God goes on in this chapter to show what He does daily and reveal His true power and wisdom. The thing is, God never answered Job’s questions. The point wasn’t to give Job closure but to show Job, and us, the complexity and glory of God’s overarching plan. Maybe you’re reading this, and you have questions of your own. God knows I have a bunch, but sometimes instead of asking God to justify His actions, I need to humble myself and remember the goodness and wisdom of God. Now, I’m not saying it’s wrong to ask God why, but we need to be prepared to not hear an answer or hear an answer we don’t want. For me, this is one of the hardest things about being a Christian.
When we go through hard times and when things happen to us or the people around us, it’s so easy for us to blame God and question His wisdom for things we don’t understand. What we often forget is if we understood everything God does, He wouldn’t be God. As we go on living in these times of uncertainty, instead of questioning God and His wisdom, let’s ask ourselves this question: where was I when God laid the foundations of the Earth?