Colonel Bill Kehler’s son Tim was a strong Christian and had a bright future. He was attending the Air Force Academy in Colorado when he was killed in bombing practice.

“Why Tim?” asked a young man, himself disabled in a car accident. Kehler replied, “Why not Tim?”

Many of us struggle a long time before coming to this kind of acceptance. Tragedies and accidents deceive us with their subtle logic. We ask, “Why me? If God controls everything and we’re trying to please Him, why hasn’t He kept us from trouble?”

Satan, I believe, thought Job would trip over that same question. He tried to make the case that people who trust God’s goodness have only a fair-weather faith. But Job showed the strength of God’s hold on his heart. When Mrs. Job urged him to curse God and die, he said in effect, “Why should I be exempt from suffering? Why not me?”

Although Job did struggle for answers, he came to a sense of acceptance as he recognized God’s greatness and wisdom. He reaffirmed his confidence in God to do what was best.

When we stop saying, “Why me,” and start saying, “Why not me,” we take the first step to glorifying God in our trials.

  — Dennis J. De Haan