Have you ever asked God, “Why?”

Of course you have. In fact, if you’re like me, it’s probably one of your most frequent questions to Him. My first struggle with “Why?” came when I was ten years old and my mother died very unexpectedly. Obviously, I wanted to know why God would allow such a tragic thing to happen. I never received an outline from God explaining His sovereignty, but over the years, He’s given me glimpses of His Romans 8:28 purpose in my life and has shown me good that has come from it.

But even though I trust God and have seen Him prove Himself over and over again, things come up almost daily that still make me ask, “Why?”

In big things, like when my husband and I lost our son, Benjamin, in a second-trimester miscarriage, I asked, “Why?” But also in small things, like when we received an unexpected financial blessing only to learn that we’d have to spend it all on an unexpected expense, I still asked, “Why?”

And no matter how many times I ask, “Why?” I’ve found that I can’t predict God. His ways are higher than my ways, and His reasons are mysterious. So when the “why?” seems to paralyze me with a desire for answers, I’ve learned to pray this simple 5-word prayer:

“Not my reason, but Yours.”

I think of Joseph and his brothers when I think of “Why?” Joseph’s story is so familiar; there is probably a piece of it that can resonate with all of us. His jealous brothers sold him into slavery, and decades later, he was in a position of authority to help them and all of Egypt through a famine.

No doubt Joseph asked, “Why?” before he had the benefit of hindsight, but God’s reasons for allowing the events to unfold as they did were not as they appeared on the surface.

God was not giving Joseph a problem, but a platform.

And God was not giving his brothers a profit, but a provision.

God allowed Joseph to be sold into slavery now so that he could be in a position of authority later. Everything that looked like a problem on the surface was actually creating a platform that Joseph could use later.

And God did not allow Joseph’s brothers to sell him because He wanted them to be happy now, but because He wanted to provide for them later. When Joseph’s brothers expressed their desire to be closer to their father without Joseph stealing the limelight, God didn’t say yes because He was concerned for their father/son relationships; He said yes because He knew what the weather would be like twenty years later.

Not my reason, but Yours.

When you pray, “Not my reason, but Yours,” you acknowledge that:

• God sees the future when all you see is the present
• God can bring good things from bad situations
• God might be meeting a future need early
• Even when you don’t understand why, you will surrender to His judgment

Times will come when things appear as if they’re falling apart. Things don’t make sense and God seems to be ignoring your cries for help. Like when Moses was pushed into the Nile by his mother, or when Paul was imprisoned, or when Jesus was crucified.

You may lose your job, lose your husband, lose your home or lose your health, but when you pray, “Not my reason, but Yours,” you begin to see that today’s problems might actually be tomorrow’s platform.

Other times, you may receive something that appears to be an added bonus for today. An extra blessing. A bit more security. Like when Ananias and Sapphira received a good sum of money for selling their land. Had they prayed, “Not my reason, but Yours,” they would have seen that God was not giving them a blessing in order for them to profit now, but rather to be a provision for the church later.

Next time you get a tax refund or a Christmas bonus or a significant gain from the sell of some stock, don’t get frustrated if your car breaks down or your child needs surgery or the dishwasher breaks and you have to spend it all. Instead, praise God that He knew your need ahead of time and that He gave you the provision for it early.

God has a reason for everything He does. You may not understand. It may not make sense. And you might not always like it at the time. But rest assured that His reasons are divine. And when you know that you can thank Him for it in hindsight, it becomes easier for you to trust Him in the present.

Q: What has you asking “Why?” today? When has God shown you His sovereignty through the benefit of hindsight?

Read the entire 5-word prayers series

Introduction to 5 Word Prayers
1. Not my will, but yours
2. Not my timing, but yours
3. Not my day, but yours
4. Not my reason, but yours
5. Not my stuff, but yours
6. Not my way, but yours
7. Not my job, but yours
8. Not my glory, but yours