“Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again—my Savior and my God!” (Psalm 42:5–6 NLT)

 

The Christian life is full of difficult questions. Many of them begin with “Why, Lord?” or some variation thereof. The Old Testament prophet Habakkuk asked, “How long, O Lord, must I call for help? But you do not listen! ‘Violence is everywhere!’ I cry, but you do not come to save. Must I forever see these evil deeds? Why must I watch all this misery? Wherever I look, I see destruction and violence. I am surrounded by people who love to argue and fight” (Habakkuk 1:2–3 NLT).

The psalmist Asaph asked, “Has the Lord rejected me forever? Will he never again be kind to me? Is his unfailing love gone forever? Have his promises permanently failed? Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he slammed the door on his compassion?” (Psalm 77:7–9 NLT).

I have my questions for God that I’ve asked many times. I’m sure that you have yours, too. But we must see these questions for what they are: temporary sources of pain, discouragement, or confusion. The apostle Paul wrote, “Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely” (1 Corinthians 13:12 NLT). Our earthly perspective and understanding are limited. All our questions will be answered someday.

God answered Habakkuk. “Look around at the nations; look and be amazed! For I am doing something in your own day, something you wouldn’t believe even if someone told you about it” (Habakkuk 1:5 NLT). And passages such as Ecclesiastes 3 give us context for our questions. “For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. . . . A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance” (verses 1, 4 NLT).

A well-lived life is one in which we keep our questions in proper perspective. One in which we refuse to allow them to cause bitterness or resentment toward God—or to live “out of season,” in the context of Ecclesiastes 3.

In 2 Corinthians 12, Paul recounts praying for God to remove a “thorn” in his flesh—some kind of affliction that caused him difficulties. God chose not to. Paul didn’t understand why, but he didn’t let it slow him down.

A well-lived life is one that embraces the challenge of faith—that is, trusting God without having all the answers. A well-lived life is one in which we cling to the words of the psalmist in Psalm 42:5–6: “Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again—my Savior and my God!” (NLT).

 

Reflection question: What will you do with your unanswered questions for God? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

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The audio production of the podcast "Daily Devotions from Greg Laurie" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."

All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.

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&ldquo;Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again&mdash;my Savior and my God!&rdquo; (Psalm 42:5&ndash;6 NLT)
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The Christian life is full of difficult questions. Many of them begin with &ldquo;Why, Lord?&rdquo; or some variation thereof. The Old Testament prophet Habakkuk asked, &ldquo;How long, O&nbsp;Lord, must I call for help? But you do not listen! &lsquo;Violence is everywhere!&rsquo; I cry, but you do not come to save.&nbsp;Must I forever see these evil deeds? Why must I watch all this misery? Wherever I look, I see destruction and violence. I am surrounded by people who love to argue and fight&rdquo; (Habakkuk 1:2&ndash;3 NLT).
The psalmist Asaph asked, &ldquo;Has the Lord rejected me forever? Will he never again be kind to me?&nbsp;Is his unfailing love gone forever? Have his promises permanently failed? Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he slammed the door on his compassion?&rdquo; (Psalm 77:7&ndash;9 NLT).
I have my questions for God that I&rsquo;ve asked many times. I&rsquo;m sure that you have yours, too. But we must see these questions for what they are: temporary sources of pain, discouragement, or confusion. The apostle Paul wrote, &ldquo;Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely&rdquo; (1 Corinthians 13:12 NLT). Our earthly perspective and understanding are limited. All our questions will be answered someday.
God answered Habakkuk. &ldquo;Look around at the nations; look and be amazed! For I am doing something in your own day, something you wouldn&rsquo;t believe even if someone told you about it&rdquo; (Habakkuk 1:5 NLT). And passages such as Ecclesiastes 3 give us context for our questions. &ldquo;For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. . . . A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance&rdquo; (verses 1, 4 NLT).
A well-lived life is one in which we keep our questions in proper perspective. One in which we refuse to allow them to cause bitterness or resentment toward God&mdash;or to live &ldquo;out of season,&rdquo; in the context of Ecclesiastes 3.
In 2 Corinthians 12, Paul recounts praying for God to remove a &ldquo;thorn&rdquo; in his flesh&mdash;some kind of affliction that caused him difficulties. God chose not to. Paul didn&rsquo;t understand why, but he didn&rsquo;t let it slow him down.
A well-lived life is one that embraces the challenge of faith&mdash;that is, trusting God without having all the answers. A well-lived life is one in which we cling to the words of the psalmist in Psalm 42:5&ndash;6: &ldquo;Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again&mdash;my Savior and my God!&rdquo; (NLT).
&nbsp;
Reflection question: What will you do with your unanswered questions for God?&nbsp;<a href="https://disciple.harvest.org/spaces/17592429/feed?utm_source=DD&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=HarvestDiscipleship">Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!</a>
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The audio production of the podcast "Daily Devotions from Greg Laurie" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known." All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.
<a href="https://go.pddr.app/glpodcast">Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast</a>
<a href="https://harvest.org/harvest-partner/?utm_source=DD&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=HarvestPartners">Become a Harvest Partner</a>

If you want to be successful in the Christian life, you must have a mind full of God’s Word. Refresh your mind with it daily, right here. Each day, you'll receive a verse and commentary from Pastor Greg Laurie, who offers biblical insight through humor, personal stories, and cultural commentary. Start listening and hear what God has to say to you. 

*The audio production of this podcast utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."

All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.

If you want to be successful in the Christian life, you must have a mind full of God&rsquo;s Word. Refresh your mind with it daily, right here. Each day, you'll receive a verse and commentary from&nbsp;<a href="https://harvest.org/about-greg-laurie/">Pastor Greg Laurie</a>, who offers biblical insight through humor, personal stories, and cultural commentary. Start listening and hear what God has to say to you.&nbsp;
*The audio production of this podcast utilizes Generative AI technology.&nbsp;This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known." All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.

Greg Laurie provides commentary on the day's Bible verse.

Greg Laurie: Daily Devotions

A well-lived life is one in which we embrace the challenge of faith and trust God even when our questions go unanswered.

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