Why Me, Lord?

Kris Kristofferson sings at the beginning of his song released in 1972, "Why me Lord, what have I ever done? To deserve even one of the pleasures I've known. Tell me Lord, what did I ever do that was worth loving you or the kindness you've shown?" The song is like a prayer for a struggling Christian who realizes he has lived much of his life for himself, but he still realizes God loves him. I believe there is a point in all our lives where we stop and say the title of the song, "Why me, Lord?" It's difficult to comprehend that God loves us the exact same when we sin and when we do as He asks. There's probably no better expert on this topic than Job.

The book of Job begins by describing a man named Job who "was blameless and upright." Job "feared God and shunned evil" (Job 1:1). Satan knew that Job was a man of God, but he wanted to prove a point. Satan believed that Job only loved God because of all the abundant blessings God gave him, so he asks God for permission to take away all of Job's blessings knowing that Job would then curse God. God allows Satan to do it on one condition, that he take all he has, but to not "lay a finger on him" (Job 1:12). I encourage you to read the rest of Job to see all the things Satan did to Job to try to make him curse God. While Job did complain, he held on to his love for God, and for that, "The Lord blessed the latter part of Job's life more than the first" (Job 42:12).

Many Christians have a hard time understanding that loving God doesn't mean your life will be full of sunshine and rainbows. They also have a hard time understanding that humans don't get the final say in justice. God does. The story of Job is one of the most powerful stories in the Bible because it teaches us that God always protects His people in accordance to His plan. As I like to say, when we don't understand something, God is at work. God never explained to Job why he suffered the way he did, but he never took his hands off him.

​So, why you? Well...God is painting you a masterpiece and He's excited to show you what it looks like when He's finished.

-Jacob

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