Part 4

Hello ,

Why doesn't God explain Himself?

One of the hardest parts of loss is not just the pain.

It’s the silence.

You can survive hardship.
You can endure grief.
But what unsettles the soul is not knowing why.

Why did the marriage unravel?
Why did the child die?
Why did the betrayal succeed?
Why did the illness come back?
Why did the door close after so much prayer?

We want explanation because explanation feels like control.

But Scripture reminds us that God’s perspective is not confined to ours. In Isaiah 55:8–9, the Lord says, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways… For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways.” 

That is not dismissal. It is perspective. 

We see moments. 

He sees eternity.

Job demanded answers. After devastating loss, he questioned God boldly. And when God finally spoke, He did not give Job a detailed explanation. Instead, He revealed His sovereignty (Job 38). God asked where Job was when the foundations of the earth were laid. The point was not intimidation. It was orientation. Job was reminded that the universe is upheld by wisdom far beyond human comprehension.

We often assume that if we understood the reason, the pain would lessen.

But sometimes explanation would not heal us. It would only overwhelm us.

History provides an illustration.

In 1956, five missionaries were killed while attempting to bring the gospel to the Huaorani people of Ecuador. Among them was Jim Elliot. To the world, it looked like tragic waste. Years later, through the faithful witness of the missionaries’ widows — including Elisabeth Elliot — many in that very tribe came to faith. 

What appeared senseless at first was part of a larger story that only time revealed.

Not every story resolves that visibly in this life. Some answers belong to eternity.

• Divorce may never fully make sense.
   
• Death may never feel fair.
   
• Betrayal may never feel justified.
   
• Illness may never feel purposeful.
   
• Disappointment may never feel logical.

Faith does not require full comprehension.

It requires trust in God’s character.

When God does not explain Himself, He is not withdrawing. He is asking you to trust what you already know about Him — His goodness, His justice, His sovereignty, and His love revealed at the cross.

You may not receive the reason.

But you can rely on the Ruler.

When faith hurts because heaven is quiet, anchor yourself not in explanations, but in who God has already proven Himself to be.

Understanding may come later.

Trust must come now!

Musical Reflection: My Prayer for You!

Have a great day and God bless!

Pastor Mike / The Open Word