Lord Why?

“This just doesn’t make any sense!”

Have you ever used this statement? I recently said this when faced with the new of violence and riots happening in Milwaukee. The situation at face value simply did not make sense. It doesn’t make sense that society members would vandalize, loot, and burn down their own communities. It doesn’t make sense that our officers have to risk their lives to handle the riots. It doesn’t make sense that family members have to fear for the lives of their loved ones. It simply doesn’t make sense…

When faced with confusion and fear, we often begin to question ourselves, others, and God. Why is this happening? Or more specifically: Why did God allow this to happen? It is so easy to get caught up in the “why questions” and want to tell God that He hurt us. Is it wrong to ask, "Why?"

​The reality is that asking “why” is not the issue; the issue begins when we allow the “whys” to push us away from God. As Christians, we must vitally reach for the “whys” that bring us closer to our Lord. He says in Romans 8:29, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” We must begin to trust that the Lord will bring good from this, that we will learn from this, and that we will love more because of this.

The concept of using the why questions to bring us closer to God applies in situations ranging from failed math homework to a death in the family. God is always working for our good and using situations to bring us back to His plan for our lives. I recently heard a sermon during Friendship Sunday with the residents in which the Pastor spoke about the "Butterfly Effect.” The premise of the Butterfly Effect rests on the idea that all of our choices and actions have larger, long-lasting consequences. In other words, what we do today will affect our tomorrow in either a positive or negative way. The Butterfly Effect is constantly redirecting us towards God’s plan for our lives. The result of the violence in Milwaukee, although hard to understand, will ultimately serve the Lord’s purpose (even if we are unaware of that purpose right now).

Rather than asking the wrong why questions, let us gather together and know that Christ is bringing us back to Him every step of the way. May we learn from every situation, and feel peace in knowing that, “my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:9). With this in mind I encourage you to, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Brianne Kluge is the Home Manager at New Beginnings. She grew up in Marshall, WI and graduated from Lakeside Lutheran High School. Brianne has a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee. In her free time, she enjoys singing, camping, refurbishing furniture and spending time with her fiancé, Daniel.  

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