Why God?

Sometimes life gets tough. Decisions are hard and you wonder where God is in the midst of it all. You feel like no matter which direction you turn it is painful and is a dead end. Sometimes I feel like just when I'm becoming happy with my life, God turns things around and all I'm left with is pain, yet again. I feel like there has never been a time in my life where I have felt content and happy with my life. It might look like everything is fine and dandy on the outside, but often inside I'm breaking and burdened and I sometimes question God....

Why did you do this? 

Is all this pain worth anything? 

Why is this Your will?

Why do you feel so far away?

Why are you putting me through this?

All these questions are often because my view has been shifted. I am focused on my wants and needs, and not God's. When I think things are at a dead end, God looks at it and says it is just the beginning. When I think things are hurting me and causing me pain, God is using them to strengthen and mold me. When I feel like everything is a mess and I can't find happiness, God reminds me that even though I may be experiencing heartaches I can still find joy in all that He has provided for me and there is a special purpose for everything.

Life is not always being happy, but using our lives to glorify God and be a testimony of God to others. Even though there are decisions where I would want to say "yes" in an instant, I want to obey God when He is telling me "no." I want to follow God's will for my life because His opinion matters more to me than anyone else's and I want to follow His will instead of my own, because He knows best. Although I seek to follow His will and not my own, this is difficult to put into practice and put God's needs before my own, especially when I desire certain things so much.

Instead of asking "why God?" I should be asking "what now?" Sometimes it's hard to accept God's will and give Him control of life's hardest decisions. Instead of questioning God, we should be seeking Him and asking what we can do right now in our circumstances. It's easy to look at all the negatives and get upset, but it takes maturity to focus on God and use our pain as a time to grow closer to God, lean on Him and take advantage of opportunities God has placed in our life.

So the next time you are wondering why God is putting you through some difficult circumstances, go to Him and ask Him what you can be doing right now with what He has placed in your life. Don't let your joy be dependent on your situations and on things that will change, set your focus on God. It may seem like God is hurting you, but through pain and hardships God is trying to strengthen us and draw us closer to Him; it is up to us if we desire to draw closer to Him or turn from Him when hard things come.

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Isaiah 43:1-4

Don’t be afraid, I’ve redeemed you. I’ve called your name. You’re mine. When you’re in over your head, I’ll be there with you. When you’re in rough waters, you will not go down. When you’re between a rock and a hard place, it won’t be a dead end—Because I am God, your personal God, The Holy of Israel, your Savior. I paid a huge price for you: That’s how much you mean to me! That’s how much I love you!

Philippians 4:12

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.