{"id":24830,"date":"2026-03-11T16:37:20","date_gmt":"2026-03-11T16:37:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/uncategorized\/a-better-prayer-than-why\/"},"modified":"2026-04-15T15:55:35","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T15:55:35","slug":"a-better-prayer-than-why","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/prayer\/prayers-for-stronger-faith\/a-better-prayer-than-why\/","title":{"rendered":"A Better Prayer Than \u2018Why?\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>A friend of mine died recently. We have been friends for decades. He battled cancer for roughly half the time I knew him. And while he fought valiantly and (I\u2019m sure) gained a victor\u2019s crown in heaven, it was hard to watch him suffer and hard to say goodbye.<\/p>\n<p>Another friend is currently facing a decision to continue debilitating cancer treatments or stop such brutal efforts and make the most of what time she has left on this earth.  <\/p>\n<p>At such times I am as prone as anyone to ask God: \u201cWhy?\u201d \u201cWhy him? Why her? Why must they suffer so much? Why do my prayers for healing seem to go unanswered? Why would someone who has taken such good care of his body, eating well and exercising, be stricken with such a cruel disease? Why would someone who helped so many find herself so helpless when she is most needed by others?\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/angels-and-miracles\/life-after-death\/5-ways-to-respond-to-the-last-words-of-the-dying\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em><strong>Read More: 5 Ways to Respond to the Last Words of the Dying<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Those are fair questions. But asking God \u201cwhy\u201d seldom\u2014if ever\u2014results in an answer.  <\/p>\n<p>The Bible tells the story of Job, who suffered great loss and pain and repeatedly sought an answer to the question, \u201cWhy?\u201d God eventually answered, of course, but not as Job wanted. Job wanted an explanation. God declined to explain, instead asking Job:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere were you when I laid the earth\u2019s foundation?<br \/>\nTell me, if you understand.<br \/>\nWho marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!<br \/>\nWho stretched a measuring line across it?<br \/>\nOn what were its footings set,<br \/>\nor who laid its cornerstone\u2014<br \/>\nwhile the morning stars sang together<br \/>\nand all the angels shouted for joy?<br \/>\n\u201cWho shut up the sea behind doors<br \/>\nwhen it burst forth from the womb,<br \/>\nwhen I made the clouds its garment<br \/>\nand wrapped it in thick darkness,<br \/>\nwhen I fixed limits for it<br \/>\nand set its doors and bars in place,<br \/>\nwhen I said, \u2018This far you may come and no farther;<br \/>\nhere is where your proud waves halt\u2019?<br \/>\n\u201cHave you ever given orders to the morning,<br \/>\nor shown the dawn its place,<br \/>\nthat it might take the earth by the edges<br \/>\nand shake the wicked out of it?\u2026.<br \/>\n\u201cHave you journeyed to the springs of the sea<br \/>\nor walked in the recesses of the deep?<br \/>\nHave the gates of death been shown to you?<br \/>\nHave you seen the gates of the deepest darkness?<br \/>\nHave you comprehended the vast expanses of the earth?<br \/>\nTell me, if you know all this\u201d (Job 38:1-13, 16-18, NIV).<\/p>\n<p>God never answered Job\u2019s \u201cwhy\u201d question. God repeatedly\u2014and at length\u2014pointed out that His wisdom and experience so far surpassed Job\u2019s earthly perspective that a satisfactory explanation was impossible. Not because of God\u2019s limitations (Who has none) but because of Job\u2019s.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/prayer\/how-to-pray\/how-to-pray-healing-prayers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em><strong>Read More: How to Pray Healing Prayers<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The story shifts, however, when Job says, \u201cSurely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. Therefore I . . . repent in dust and ashes\u201d (Job 42:3, 6, NIV).<\/p>\n<p>That is, Job discovered a better question than \u201cwhy.\u201d It is a question God is far more likely to answer, which is \u201cWhat now?\u201d Not \u201cGod, you owe me an explanation,\u201d but \u201cGod, how should I respond to this?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>When I am treated unfairly, it is natural to feel self-pity and ask, \u201cWhy, God?\u201d But when I pray instead, \u201cWhat now, God?\u201d He shows me how to respond with self-sacrifice instead of self-pity.<\/p>\n<p>When a loved one falls ill or dies, I tend to curse the darkness, asking, \u201cWhy, God?\u201d But when I pray \u201cWhat now, God?\u201d He often helps me light a candle and find ways to ease the suffering of others. <\/p>\n<p>When my plans crumble in my hands, I quickly respond with frustration and ask \u201cWhy, God?\u201d But when I pray \u201cWhat now, God?\u201d He tenderly but firmly suggests a new plan and often calls out of me new strength, determination and resiliency.<\/p>\n<p>So try it. Go ahead and ask, \u201cWhy?\u201d (Who knows, maybe you\u2019ll get a better answer than Job). But let that question lead to the better one: \u201cWhat now?\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A friend of mine died recently. We have been friends for decades. He battled cancer for roughly half the time I knew him. And while he fought valiantly and (I\u2019m sure) gained a victor\u2019s crown in heaven, it was hard to watch him suffer and hard to say goodbye. Another friend is currently facing a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":78,"featured_media":31053,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[211],"tags":[14,72],"ppma_author":[465],"class_list":["post-24830","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-prayers-for-stronger-faith","tag-spiritual-growth","tag-stories-of-faith"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.6 (Yoast SEO v27.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>A Better Prayer Than \u2018Why?\u2019 - Guideposts Articles<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A Better Prayer Than \u2018Why?\u2019\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A friend of mine died recently. 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