When there are no answers

I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing the Lord’s praise, for he has been good to me. —Psalm 13:5–6

Remember the story of Joseph? What Jacob’s favourite son had to endure offered little visible evidence that God was working out things “for his good”, at least at the time.

Kidnapped by his o wn brothers and sold off as a slave, Joseph was stripped of his freedom, reputation, and the comforts of home. Then he was falsely accused of rape and imprisoned. Any one in Joseph’s position would have found it hard to hold on to God’s promises. It wouldn’t be too surprising if he asked God, “Why is all this happening?” The answ er, however, didn’t come till many years later, when Joseph saw how God was using

him to deliver the people of Israel from famine (Genesis 45:4–7). While God w elcomes our honest questions, we need to be prepared for the possibility that we won’t get the answers we seek. Our hearts may cry out for answers we can understand, but the truth is, because we’re humans, there are limits to our comprehension; we’re not God. Our only hope is to trust a God who is sovereign over all things to use them for our good—even our sufferings.

All men of g reat faith, from Joseph to David, have at one point or other questioned God when things went wrong. And they all came to the same conclusion: they bowed down to God’s ultimate goodness and

sovereignty, for that was the only answer. That’s how David was able to keep singing the Lord’s praise in the midst of trouble (Psalm 13:5–6). This trut h is just as real now as it was in biblical times. Philana Lai went through periods of doubting God’s love after her prayers for help and healing for her ailing parents went unanswered. She takes care of a father who has dementia and has also suffered a stroke, as well as a mother with kidney failure. As she continued to ask questions, however, she began to find that she could accept not getting answers to her questions. “It’s a journey,” she says. “Sometimes I really don’t know what to do, but I continue to go to God. I tell him: ‘I can’t, but You can.’ I learn to trust in His sovereignty and power, and trust that He knows and understands.” Are you struggling to trust Him today? Are you afraid to trust Him with someone you love or a circumstance beyond your control? Know that you stand with Joseph and David in your struggle. And may your desire be to respond as they all did—in submission and faith, and to trust in the sovereign God who loves you.

Dear Father, You know that I struggle to understand why You don’t put a stop to my suffering. Help me to submit to Your will, knowing Your goodness brings justice and purpose to things that seem irreconcilable in my eyes. Help me to understand that You alone are the measure of truth and justice. Help me to trust You even when I cannot feel Your presence.

Let your faith rest on the character of a trustworthy God.