QUESTIONS THAT BEGIN WITH “WHY”
by Erwin Bourne

Clearly, unless the Lord chooses to explain Himself to
us, which often He does not, His motivation and
purposes are beyond the reach of mortal man.  What
this means in practical terms is that many of our
questions will have to remain unanswered for the time
being.  One of my favorite verses that I fall back on
in time of weighty decisions is Philippians 2:12-13:
“Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not
as in my presence only, but now much more in my
absence, work out your own salvation with fear and
trembling.  For it is God which worketh in you both to
will and to do of his good pleasure” (KJV).

Dr. James Dobson, founder of FOCUS ON THE FAMILY
writes these words:  “The Lord has not yet revealed
His reasons for permitting the plane crash that took
the lives of my four friends back in 1987.  They were
amongst the finest Christian gentlemen I have ever
known.  One was an extremely able member of the board
of directors for Focus on the Family.  Another was a
bank president and a giant of a man.  A third was a
gifted surgeon who performed nearly half of his
operations at no charge to his patients.  The fourth
was a minister and author who was loved by thousands.”

Dobson continues:  “I loved these four men.  I had
been with them the night before that last flight, when
their twin-engine plane went down in the Absaroka
mountain range in Wyoming.  Now their precious wives
and children are left to struggle on alone.  Why?
What purpose was served by their tragic loss?

“I was asked by the four families to speak briefly at
their funeral.  The untimely death of such vibrant and
deeply loved men seemed to scream for an explanation.
Where was God in their passing?  Why did He let this
happen?  Why would He take such godly men from their
families and leave them reeling in grief and pain?
There were no answers to these agonizing questions,
and I did not try to produce them.  But I did say that
God had not lost control of their lives, and that He
wanted us to trust Him when nothing made sense.”
--from Dobson’s book:  WHEN GOD DOESN’T MAKE SENSE 

The Apostle Paul referred to the problem of unanswered
questions when he wrote, “Now we see but a poor
reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to
face.  Now I know in part; then I shall know fully,
even as I am fully known (I Corinthians 13:12).  Paul
was explaining that we will not have the total picture
until we meet in eternity.  By implication, we must
learn to accept that partial understanding.


 by Erwin Bourne
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