Song: “Why Me?” By Celtia BlieZel

Good morning, and welcome to “Starting Our Day Together: A Few Minutes To Get The day Started In The Right Direction”

As we begin another day, I want to spend a few minutes talking about one of the shortest questions in the English language—and yet one of the most difficult questions we will ever ask.

Why?

Why did this happen?

Why did this happen to me?

Why did God allow it?

Why didn’t God stop it?

Why did I lose that opportunity?

Why did that relationship end?

Why did that person have to die?

Why am I going through this when I have tried to do the right thing?

Why now?

There are times when we genuinely need answers.

Understanding why something happened can help us correct mistakes, make better decisions, and avoid repeating the past.

But there is also a danger.

Sometimes we can become so consumed with discovering why something happened that we fail to ask what we can learn from what happened.

We can become so focused on getting an explanation that we miss the lesson.

And sometimes, we can become so focused on the pain of what happened that we even miss the blessing God may eventually bring through it.

We Don’t Always Get the Answer to “Why”

One of the realities of walking with God is that God does not explain everything to us.

Deuteronomy 29:29 says:

“The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever….”

There are some things God reveals.

And there are some things God does not.

That’s difficult for us because we like explanations.

We like things to make sense.

We want to connect the dots.

When something painful happens, we often think that if we could just understand why, somehow it would make the pain easier.

But sometimes the answer never comes.

At least not in this life.

And faith means learning to trust God even when God has not given us an explanation.

There is a difference between understanding God and trusting God.

If I only trust God when I understand what He is doing, then my trust is really in my understanding.

But genuine faith says:

“God, I don’t understand this.

I don’t know why You allowed it.

I don’t know where this is going.

But I still trust You.”

Proverbs 3:5–6 tells us:

“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.”

Notice what Scripture does not say.

It doesn’t say, “Understand everything that happens to you.”

It says, “Trust in the LORD.”

Sometimes We Ask the Wrong Question

There is an interesting moment in John chapter 9.

Jesus and His disciples encounter a man who had been blind from birth.

Immediately, the disciples wanted to know why.

They asked Jesus:“Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

They assumed there had to be a simple explanation.

Something bad happened, so somebody must have done something bad.

But Jesus refused their explanation.

He said: “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.”

The disciples were looking backward.

Jesus pointed them forward.

They wanted to know:

“What caused this?”

Jesus directed their attention toward:

“What can God do through this?”

And sometimes we need that same shift in perspective.

Instead of only asking:

“Why did this happen?”

Perhaps we also need to ask:

“Lord, what do You want me to learn from this?”

“How can You use this?”

“What are You developing in me?”

“What are You showing me about myself?”

“What are You teaching me about You?”

“Who might I be able to help because I have walked through this?”

Those questions don’t deny the pain.

They give the pain somewhere to go.

Don’t Miss the Lesson Looking for the Explanation

Think about some of the difficult experiences you have already survived.

At the time, you may have asked, “Why?”

But looking back now, you may see things you couldn’t see then.

Perhaps that disappointment redirected you.

Perhaps that failure humbled you.

Perhaps that closed door kept you from walking into something that would have harmed you.

Perhaps that difficult season taught you patience.

Perhaps that betrayal taught you discernment.

Perhaps that loss taught you what really matters.

Perhaps that struggle developed compassion in you for people whose pain you previously could not understand.

That doesn’t mean the painful thing itself was good.

And it doesn’t mean we should call evil good.

But it does mean that God is able to work in circumstances that are not good and bring good from them.

Romans 8:28 says:

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

It doesn’t say all things are good.

There are things that happen in this life that are painful, unjust, tragic, and heartbreaking.

But Scripture says that God is able to work through all things for the good of those who love Him.

That means your worst chapter does not have to be your final chapter.

The Blessing May Be Hidden in What You Didn’t Want

Sometimes the thing we prayed for God to remove becomes the very place where God develops something in us that we desperately needed.

We wanted relief.

God developed endurance.

We wanted an answer.

God deepened our faith.

We wanted the door to open.

God protected us by keeping it closed.

We wanted things to go back to the way they were.

God was preparing us for something different.

And sometimes we don’t recognize the blessing because it doesn’t look like the blessing we asked for.

That’s why we have to be careful with the question “Why?”

“Why?” can become a prison if we believe we cannot move forward until it has been answered.

You may never know why someone treated you the way they did.

You may never know why that opportunity disappeared.

You may never completely understand why that prayer was not answered the way you wanted.

You may never receive an explanation that satisfies you.

But you do not have to understand yesterday in order to walk with God today.

A Better Question for This Morning

So as we begin this day, perhaps there is something in your life that still has you asking: Why?

I’m not telling you to stop asking.

Even people in Scripture asked God why.

The Psalms are filled with honest questions.

But don’t stop with “Why?”

Ask another question: “Lord, what now?”

What do You want me to do now?

What do You want me to learn now?

Who do You want me to become now?

Where are You leading me now?

How can I honor You now?

Because sometimes we spend so much time looking backward for an explanation that we fail to see God pointing us forward toward a destination.

You may not know why it happened.

But you can still decide what you will do with what happened.

You can become bitter—or wiser.

You can remain wounded—or allow God to begin healing you.

You can allow disappointment to define you—or allow God to develop you through it.

You can spend your life demanding an explanation from yesterday—or you can place yesterday into God’s hands and walk with Him into today.

Something to Carry With You Today

So here’s the thought I want you to carry with you today:

Don’t become so consumed with asking why something happened that you miss what God may be teaching you through what happened.

The explanation may never come.

The lesson can still come.

The growth can still come.

The wisdom can still come.

The healing can still come.

And yes—even the blessing can still come.

You don’t have to have every answer to take the next step.

You simply need to know the One who is walking with you.

So today, when your mind begins returning to that unanswered question—

Why? – try adding another question:

“Lord, what would You have me learn from this, and what would You have me do now?”

And then listen. Watch. Pray. Learn. Trust.

And keep moving forward.

Closing Prayer

Father, thank You for giving us another day. There are things in our lives that we don’t understand. There are questions we have asked that have never been answered. There are disappointments, losses, closed doors, and painful experiences that still cause us to wonder why. Give us the wisdom to recognize when we need an answer—and the faith to trust You when an answer does not come. Don’t allow us to become so focused on why something happened that we miss what You are teaching us through it. Help us see the lessons. Help us recognize the growth. Help us receive the wisdom. Help us notice the blessings. And when we cannot trace Your hand, help us trust Your heart. Direct our steps today. Give us the strength to release what we cannot change, learn from what we have experienced, and faithfully walk into what You have placed before us. We trust You with yesterday. We trust You with today. And we trust You with what comes next.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

And as you go into your day, remember: You may not always get the answer to “Why?” But you can always ask God, “What now?”

Have a blessed day, and let’s make this day count.