Who Is Asking Why

I cry out to the LORD; I plead for the LORD’s mercy. I pour out my complaints before him and tell him all my troubles. When I am overwhelmed, you alone know the way I should turn.

HAVING SPENT THREE DECADES IN MINISTRY, I’ve heard women cry out to God in many ways. I’ve heard shouts of adoration and celebration. I’ve heard groans of grief and heartache. I’ve heard women wail in frustration and anger. I have met women where they are and wrapped my arms around them, bringing them to the Lord in prayer as they cry out to Him. The prayers of a woman’s heart are so personal and raw.

The prayers that stayed with me are those from women who see God differently than I know Him to be. They attribute to God all the hardship of the broken world we live in rather than see Him as the rescuer who meets us in our pain. For decades, I have heard women ask God why.

So I have to ask you a question: Have you ever experienced so much worry or pain that your own heart and mind couldn’t process it? You lived through something tragic or traumatic that made you question the Lord. You wondered whether He was displeased with your doubting heart. You wondered (even if you never told another soul) whether the trial was your own fault.

King David was holed up in a cave and afraid for his life when he cried out to the Lord, “I pour out my complaints before [the Lord] and tell him all my troubles. When I am overwhelmed, you alone know the way I should turn.”

The Lord does not fault us for our questions or our weaknesses. He does not hide His face from us in our time of need. He wants us to know Him as a kind and generous Father who made a way for us to never face any of life’s trials alone.

Momma, we have all had those days and weeks when the problems just keep coming. But here is a tool to help you not just survive but thrive: Make going to the Lord a priority, especially when life feels overwhelming . . . especially when your heart is asking why. In His presence, you will find the answer.

Tonight we pray for the momma who is asking why. Lord, the anxiety she feels is heavy. She already has a cup overflowing with the “what-ifs” and the “what thens,” and now she wonders, Why, Lord? We ask that You bring Your peace to every situation this momma is facing. Help her heart to stop racing and her mind to settle. Help her see where You have been, what You have been doing, and that You’re not displeased with her or her questioning heart. Please bring every answer she needs.

We ask in Jesus’s name, amen.

Lord, I look to You for guidance because You alone know the answers to my questions about . . .