The big talk in the past couple of weeks has been the miraculous rescue of the soccer players from the cave in Thailand. We humanly wonder what they, and their parents, must have been thinking as the waters surged in and they realized they were trapped.  At least one of them had to think:  Why me? There is really no other logical way to explain the successful rescue of the soccer players other than the hand of God.  We would be remiss not to give God the glory in recalling the events of this story.

Why me?  How many of us ask this question when something bad happens to us?  Well, this is a great question because it gets to the heart of our purpose in life.  When we ask “Why?” we are presuming intent, and therefore purpose.  This is because God created human beings with purpose.  Here’s what the Bible says about our purpose:  “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”  Matthew 5:13-17 (ESV). So when you are experiencing problems, remember that God can use everything in your life to give glory to Himself, even the tough times.

Why me?  When we ponder the situations in life that cause us to ask this question, we should distinguish between immediate and long-term purposes.  The most famous scriptural example of this is Genesis 50:20, when Joseph’s brothers express their fear that Joseph will take revenge on him for how they treated him. Joseph responded, “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good.”  We all probably experience difficult and even tragic events in our lives and we assume that God could have prevented them if he had wanted to.  When we ask “Why?” that means we know the foundational truth, which is that God has a purpose for what happened.  And because God is good, we know that God’s purpose is a good one because his purposes and intentions are always altogether good.  So the immediate consequence might have been caused by something evil, but as Paul said in Romans 8:28, “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.”

So, “Why Me?” Is a great question to ask of God no matter what happens, good or bad.

God, what is your purpose in this? Lord, I know that you are to be glorified in every situation, so help me to know how I can best glorify you and be a part of the solution you working to bring about, and then give you all the glory. Amen.

Blessings,

Judy

Note:  My reference on this subject can be found at the following site from one of my favorite authors. https://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/purposes-god/