Journey through the Psalms: A 7-Day DevotionalSample

Asking God Why

Why, O Lord? We are cautioned against asking God to explain himself, and for good reason. He owes us no explanation for what he does. And when the heart behind our why is arrogant and demanding, we are unlikely to receive a satisfactory answer. But the psalmist’s why is not of that sort. He is perplexed at God’s ways, and he wants to understand so that his trust won’t be shaken. What he sees going on around him— the wicked crushing the weak—doesn’t seem to match what he knows of God’s justice, compassion, and power (vv.  1–10). In other words, the psalmist is praying his perplexity. Asking why in this way is not a demand; it’s an act of drawing near. Jesus put it this way: “Everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened” (Matt. 7:8). The psalmist asked, and he received a reminder that God is the eternal King who hears the cries of the oppressed and does something about it. The psalmist sought, and he found renewed confidence in the father-heart of God. The psalmist knocked, and his prayer changed from perplexed lament to confident petition (vv. 12–18).

From the psalmist we learn that God delights in the searching of an honest heart, and for that reason, we are free to sing our *why* songs to God. “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you” (1 Pet. 5:6–7).