Judges 6:13 “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us?

Why did this happen to me? Have you ever asked yourself that question? Have you ever asked God that question? I know that I sure have. Sometimes the pressures and disappointments of life all come crashing down on you at the same time and you can’t help but wonder what you did to tick God off so badly. Hopefully you know that God is not mad at you. Jesus came to be our peace and to atone for our sin past, present, and future. The presence of problems does not necessary equal a problem between you and God.

No matter your current state of affairs, I want to challenge you to move from asking “why” to asking “now what?” “Why” is a question that always causes you to fixate on the past. These fixations on the past will cause you to miss the peace of God and the plan that God has for you today. A friend of mine once said, “When you demand to know the “why”, you deny the peace God has for you” What do you want more, an explanation or a healing? Asking “why” seldom provides either. Asking “now what” will move you down the path that God has for you.

In the text, God wants to use Gideon to bring freedom. God wants to use Gideon to restore but Gideon is too busy asking “why”. You can ask why’s about your past or you can embrace the “now what” God has for your life. Gideon had a choice to make. He could either embrace God’s plan for today or keep reliving the pain of the past. You and I have that same choice.

Today’s Challenge: Trade your “why’s” for “now what.” God has a plan for your life despite the devastation in your past. Ask Him to lead you today. Ask Him to show you the “now what” for your life.