Why Didn’t You…?

Have you ever found your yourself consciously or subconsciously checking God on something? The conversation might go like this, “God why didn’t you…? You knew what would happen. Why didn’t you…? You are omniscient – You always know what lies ahead. ” Some of us are angry at God or may be disappointed with Him because we perceive He didn’t, when He could have.

Last night, one of my sister-girls and I had an interesting experience. I was suppose to drop her and her daughter off at a bus station to catch a ride. They were going to another city about 3 hours away and didn’t feel like driving. Less than 5 mins to the station, her daughter asked where we going. We came to find out that she had bought tickets for a different station, not the one we were heading to. We plugged in the address into the GPS and realized we were about 15 minutes away from that other location. We would never get there in time to catch the bus.

This was a good time to start cussing and pointing fingers, right? Why didn’t you….? Common human response. We decided to go for it. As we drove out, we said, ” God we need your favor.” In less than ten minutes, my friend realized there was a message from the company – the bus was delayed for 10-20 minutes. To make a long story short, we got there in time with about 10 minutes to spare. As a result of the delay, everything worked out well. No anger, no stress and no pointing of fingers. I must say, I think God was pleased with our response.

As I drove home I reflected on this. I woke up this morning, again I said, ‘God why didn’t You…? As I meditated, I realized that God could have done anything He wanted to do . He could have allowed me to ask her daughter for the address on the itinerary. My friend had assumed it was the station closest to their home. That did not happen. God chose to show us one more time that He can do wonders especially where we fall short. He delights in doing the impossible – in shifting the tides for His children. That’s who He is. While we are expected to do due diligence, be responsible and all that jazz – God knows His children. He remembers that we are but flesh [Psalm 78:39] – prone to failure. He steps in and do what we can’t.

He could have prevented the sickness- but you wouldn’t have known The Healer. He could have prevented the financial challenges, but you wouldn’t have known The Provider. He could have prevented the chaos, but you wouldn’t have met Jehovah Shalom. He could have stopped your enemies from creating havoc, but you wouldn’t have met The One Who Fights for you. He could have stopped the storm from blowing on your shores, but You wouldn’t have met The One Who Calms the Storms.

What would you write about, sing about or speak about if God hadn’t chosen to allow you to encounter a thing or two? Some of the most beautiful lyrics that were ever penned came from a place where the writer walked through pain or discomfort. Pictures that are developed from film must be developed in a darkroom. Premature exposure to light damages the pictures. It’s the same with our lives. Some of the most beautiful parts of our lives were developed in dark seasons.

So when you are tempted to ask, ‘Why didn’t You…?’ , trust that He who holds your hand knows what lies ahead. He’s not malicious. Life is a classroom filled with lessons – many of them are hands-on. We have to navigate some stuff to become the best version of ourselves. I wish it were easier, but it’s not. Welcome to this thing called life! It’s not for the faint-hearted, but there’s a Father who wants to do this with you —with me.

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