Monday Morning Manna: Understanding Why

The older I get the less I understand about some things. I don’t understand why good people elect bad politicians. I don’t understand why faithful church members have violent disagreements. I don’t understand why people who love each other make decisions that cause their children to suffer. I don’t understand why rich people spend their money foolishly, even illegally. I don’t understand why God shows public favor on some of His called-out ones and allow others to serve in relative obscurity. I don’t understand why God chose me to travel, serve, speak, write, encourage, befriend, while there were others with seemingly far more talent, skill, intelligence, personality, etc. Following a very profound spiritual experience, song-writer Kris Kristofferson wrote the following words. “Why me Lord? What have I ever done to deserve even one of the blessings I’ve known? Why me Lord? What did I ever do that was worth love from You and the kindness You’ve shown?” The song doesn’t really answer the “Why” question, but the Bible does. When God’s people in Old Testament days wondered why God blessed them more than others, the answer was: “It was not because you were more numerous than any other people, that the Lord set his heart on you and chose you—for you were the fewest of all peoples. It was because the Lord loved you” (Deuteronomy 7:7-8). I still don’t understand why God chose to love me so much, but this much I do know, God made me unique, and in the words of Augustine, “God loves each of us as if there were only one of us.”

Dr. Dan Crawford, Senior Professor at Southwestern Baptist Seminary, is the WestCoast Baptist Association’s Spiritual Life & Leadership Mentor. Follow Dan on Twitter @DrDanRC and Facebook www.facebook.com/dan.crawford.