Rescue: Finding God In Life's ChallengesSample

"Why God, Why Me?" 

It’s the most painful and honest prayer you’ll ever pray.

“Why, God?  Why me?”

For the 33 Chilean miners who found themselves suddenly stuck under two miles of rock, with no chance of quick escape and barely enough food and water to last a few days, the reality was bleak.  

In no way trying to compare them, but here’s guessing your situation is bleak, too.
Maybe it’s medical, or financial.  Maybe it’s a personal relationship gone wrong.  It could be a dead end job or dreams unfulfilled. Perhaps this a new wound or a scar from long ago that’s unexpectedly re-opened.  Whatever the challenge you’re facing, it’s deeply personal. And real. And terrifying.  

“Why, God?  Why me?” 

If you find yourself uttering these lonely words, there are two important truths you must know. 

First, you’re not alone. Great men and women of the Bible also found themselves at the end of their rope and on their knees in desperation. Feel no shame for crying these words to God.  You are in good company.  If Jesus can bellow these words from the cross, it’s OK for you to do it, too.

Second, even in the midst of your anguish today, know that in lamenting those sorrowful words, the healing has already begun.  

How?  Because these cries from the depth of your being are piercing the BIG LIE we tell ourselves almost every minute of every day – that we are in charge. 
We are not.

 “Why, God? Why me?” is a radical reorientation, an anguished acknowledgment of the truth.  It reveals that at our core, in our most raw and vulnerable moment, we intuitively realize that someone else is actually in charge, and that we desperately need His help. And it’s why we cry out.

So today, allow yourself the liberty to join the chorus of the ages.  And take solace in the fact that, like them, you’re being brutally honest with yourself. “Why, God? Why me?” is the starting line for `your recovery, and God is already preparing you to hear His answer.