05/13/2018
Why NOT Me
“Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.” -Psalms 34:19
I was inspired to write on this subject after a heartfelt conversation with a sister in the church. With tears in her eyes, she expressed what she had been dealing with lately. These feelings made her do what we all do sometimes—wonder why me. She went on to say that the spirit came to her and said, “why NOT me?”
In the times we live in, it’s hard to find a good natural father; however, we have a heavenly father that loves us with an everlasting love. In Matthew 7:9-11 Jesus said, “or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?” Some of the most valuable lessons we will ever learn in life comes from the chastening of our heavenly father. Hebrews 12:6 reads, “for whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth…” Also Proverbs 3:11 says, “my son, despise not the chastening of the Lord: neither be weary of his correction.”
Let’s view this from a different angle. What if the Lord has blessed us to walk right? Why does it seem that no matter how hard I try to elude troubles they seem to find me? When we begin to see God in everything, we will start to see how beneficial our trials are to us. How can we say he is a shelter if we never had any rain? How can we say he is a doctor if we never been sick? How can we know he is a light if we never had any dark days? It’s in these difficult hours that we truly see God’s grace and mercy. As we examine ourselves, we’ll find that we probably deserve to stay in the condition that we are in. When we truly start to understand God’s grace, we will start to ask, “WHY ME” for a different reason. Why after all my shortcomings does he still bless me? Why in my disobedience does he still comfort me? The answer is simple! God’s love for his children is everlasting.
When I meditate on the words of this scripture, the three words that jump off the page to me are many, affliction, and righteous. However, I refuse to be discouraged by them because that three-letter word following them is what ushers in hope. That little three letter word BUT…but God delivers him out of them ALL.
See, when you are too caught up in the afflictions, the less you will focus on the deliverance. Now that my focus is on the deliverance instead of focusing on those three words (many, affliction, and righteous), now my focus is on that one word…ALL. This one word gives us the comfort to know that no matter what afflictions may come, ALL of them are already handled. This is what made Job say, “though he slay me, yet will I trust in him” (Job 13:15). This is what made David say, “I have been young and now I am old, yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread” (Psalms 37:5). This is why the Lord told Joshua, “as I was with Moses, so will I be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee” (Joshua 1:5). This is why Paul was able to write to the Corinthians saying, “we are troubled on every side, yet not distressed, we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down but not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9). This is why Paul wrote to the Romans, “and we know all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).
So, the next time we get that feeling that wants to ask WHY ME…think about God’s goodness and grace and say to yourself, “why NOT me!!”
