Why, Lord, do you stand far off? Why do you pay no attention during times of trouble? The wicked arrogantly chase the oppressed; the oppressed are trapped by the schemes the wicked have dreamed up…… The Lord rules forever! The nations are driven out of his land. Lord, you have heard the request of the oppressed; you make them feel secure because you listen to their prayer. You defend the fatherless and oppressed, so that mere mortals may no longer terrorize them. (Psalm 10:1-2 + 16-18 NET)
We’re all tempted to ask “why” of God every once in a while. But just like the writer of this psalm, this question doesn’t have to be one of doubt and blame. When we feel a sense of revolt at the evil around us, or the injustice of our situation, it’s natural for us to wonder why God seems to be doing nothing. But when we have true faith in Him we know that it goes against His character to be apathetic or inactive about our situation no matter how it may look to our physical eyes, we know that He must be doing something… it’s just beyond our comprehension. The fact that we’re praying to Him, many times, is a sign that we still see Him as our only hope and the One who will deliver us from all our troubles.
It’s infuriating to be confronted by arrogant, evil people who seem to have everything going their way, who have no fear of God, and seem to getting away with anything. At these times a holy, spiritual arrogance and determination needs to rise up inside of us. The devil is as powerful as he is in this world only because godly people frequently do nothing to stop him, they forget the passage in James chapter five that says the devil will run from us when we resist him.
When we determine the truth of today’s promises for our own lives, things have to change. God rules forever! God has heard our request! God listens to our prayers! God defends the fatherless and the oppressed! Mere mortals have no right to terrorize us! — We can’t wait for things to start changing before we believe in these powerful promises, we have to grab a hold of them right now, decide that they’re ours, and that they’re already coming true in our lives and family.
Asking “why” can be the most dangerous question we ask. If it leads to doubt and blaming God, this question is a killer. But if we ask it with a foundation of faith in God and what He’s promised, as a sign of our revolt, and refusal to accept our present situation, then this question will lead to extraordinary answers to prayer, and to a firmer faith in what God has already promised.
If I were you I’d make a prayer like this right now.
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