WHY?

“Why does God allow bad things to happen?” “Why would a good God allow so much suffering?” These are questions that people have been asking for hundreds, even thousands of years in various forms. We find these questions, or similar ones, in the book of Job (the oldest book in the Bible); the authors of Psalms ask them repeatedly, and here, in the first verse of Habakkuk, the question is posed. God provides answers to these questions, though they are not always the answers we hope to hear. In Habakkuk’s day, something greater was coming through the pain. God even states that the Babylonians are “ruthless and impetuous people” (v 6). He knows that it is not the answer Habakkuk wants, but He promises that His plan is to use them for a greater purpose that has yet to be revealed. God reminds Habakkuk that our perspective is limited. He doesn’t demean our suffering, but He does see a bigger picture that we cannot fathom in the midst of our suffering. When the ‘why’ is not clear, the faithful must remember God’s goodness and trust in His promises. He is still in control.