By George Huang
Sermon presentations 講道稿 – in English and 中文 Chinese
Initially given as a sermon at Chinatown Church of Christ
Scripture: Psalms 13:1-6
This sermon is meant to follow When You Don’t Have Enough Bread and precede the Overcoming Adversity series.
In What to Do When God Doesn’t Tell You Why, we explore Psalm 13 and discover that we can ask God honest questions and still trust Him while we wait for answers. David asks how long his suffering will last, yet before he receives an answer, he chooses to trust in God’s unfailing love. Through the stories of Joseph and Abraham, we see how God can work through adversity and long seasons of waiting, even when we cannot see what He is doing. When the reasons remain hidden, we can still ask, “God, what do You want me to do now?”
Powerpoint presentations – in English and 中文 Chinese
The following are texts from the 2 Powerpoints. They are meant for the search engines to read. Human readers: please use the PPTs linked above.
English version:
What to Do When God Doesn’t Tell You Why?
Scripture: Psalms 13:1-6
How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart?
How long will my enemy triumph over me?
Look on me and answer, Lord my God.
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death, and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,” and my foes will rejoice when I fall.
But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.
I will sing the Lord’s praise, for he has been good to me.
What to Do When God Doesn’t Tell You Why?
In Psalms 13, David was suffering. We are not told why. He asked the Lord to answer him.
But before he got an answer from God, David said he will trust in God’s love and rejoice in God’s salvation.
Faith does not mean we stop asking questions. Faith means we can still trust God while the questions remain unanswered.
In When You Don’t Have Enough Bread, we learned to ask, seek, and knock. We learned to pursue the Provider, not just the Provision.
But we also discovered something uncomfortable: God’s provision comes in God’s way and His time.
Sometimes we ask God for something good…
But He says, “Wait.”
Sometimes He says, “No.”
And sometimes He doesn’t tell us why.
I told you about me asking God why He let my Grandma die.
My Grandmother was dying with lung cancer. She came to Christ shortly before she lost consciousness frequently.
We went back to Taiwan to see her. She sometimes woke up and recognized us.
At that time, my Grandfather was diagnosed with early prostate cancer.
At first, he refused the surgery. He said he didn’t want to live if his beloved wife dies also.
But because my Grandmother woke up sometimes, we convinced him that she might be getting better.
“It would be truly tragic if she recovers and you die!”
That finally convinced him to get the surgery.
My Grandfather was healed, but Grandmother died in peace soon after. That’s why I asked God for an answer.
“Grandma was a good person. Why did You let my Grandma die when other evil people get to live?”
God told me in a dream that He delayed her death because she had some unfinished business to do.
At that time, I thought it was about Grandfather’s surgery. That delay kept him alive. That was enough answer for me at the time.
17 years later, I realized God was giving him time to come to Christ.
I didn’t even know I was still waiting for a fuller answer. But eventually, I came to see God’s whole plan.
But sometimes, we may never receive that kind of explanation.
So what happens when the answer doesn’t come? What happens when the adversity doesn’t go away?
And sometimes, perhaps hardest of all, God doesn’t even tell us why.
Sometimes we know why something bad happened.
We made a bad choice. Or someone hurts us.
Sometimes something happens because we live in a broken world. But sometimes we simply don’t know.
Not knowing “why” is often painful. Knowing the reason can give us some closure.
But not every problem is solved. Not everyone is healed.
We may not know why the adversity happened. But not knowing its cause doesn’t mean God cannot use it.
There is nothing wrong with asking God why. But we cannot make understanding God’s reasons a condition for trusting God.
Faith cannot depend on eventually receiving an explanation.
If God loves me…
If He hears me…
If He could change this…
Why hasn’t He done so already?
You may never get an answer while on Earth. But our lack of understanding does not stop God from working.
Joseph’s story shows us that God can still be working even when we cannot see what He is doing.
His brothers betrayed him and sold him into slavery in Egypt. Later he was falsely accused and imprisoned.
Joseph remained faithful even when he could not see where his journey was going.
Years later, God positioned Joseph to preserve many lives during a famine.
At that time, he realized that God had placed him in that position to save the people of Egypt and beyond.
So when he finally met his brothers again, he could tell them what he learned after 22 years.
Genesis 50:20 —
“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good… the saving of many lives.”
God was at work not only for Joseph, but through Joseph for others.
What Joseph’s brothers did was evil. But their evil was not able to stop God’s work.
God worked through his brothers’ betrayal to accomplish something good.
Joseph’s story does not explain why every adversity happens.
It shows us that even when we cannot see how, God can still work.
Whatever its cause, adversity does not fall outside God’s ability to work through it.
God can use even the adversities in our lives for our growth, for the good of others, and to prepare us for eternity.
We may not understand what God is doing. But our lack of understanding does not stop God from working.
We may not know why, but God is still at work. So we must decide how we respond.
We can keep asking why. But don’t stop at why. Also ask, “God, what do You want me to do now?”
I wish I could give you a secret formula that guarantees God will give us an answer — or do what we want. But there isn’t one.
And “What do You want me to do now?” does not always mean, “How do I fix this?”
Sometimes what needs to change is us.
Ask God to help us change.
Sometimes it’s not the right time yet.
God may ask us to wait.
Sometimes our own strength is not enough.
God asks us to depend on His strength instead.
Sometimes the suffering does not go away.
God can teach us to find contentment in Him.
Often the hardest part is waiting — especially when God seems silent and we desperately need an answer.
Sometimes God gives us only part of the picture. His timing is often unknown to us.
I asked God “why,” and He gave me a dream that I thought I understood at the time.
I didn’t even know I was still waiting for a fuller answer. But 17 years later, I saw more of the picture, and it finally began to make sense.
Sometimes God gives us understanding later – in His timing, not ours.
Abraham also knew what it was like to wait. God promised him his own descendants, but Abraham and Sarah waited year after year.
After 10 years in Canaan, they tried to solve the problem themselves. Sarah’s servant Hagar gave birth to Ishmael.
Abraham was 86 when Ishmael was born. Sarah’s own son Isaac was not born until Abraham was 100.
Why did Abraham have to wait so long? Why didn’t God tell him sooner when the promise would be fulfilled?
God had not forgotten Abraham. But Abraham did not know God’s timing.
Abraham’s story reminds us that God’s timing may be very different from ours.
And while we wait, God may not tell us why — or when the waiting will end.
Abraham knew the promise. He just didn’t know the timing. So what do we do when God makes us wait?
Sometimes the problem isn’t that God hasn’t answered…
Sometimes the problem is that we don’t know when — or whether — we’ll understand His answer.
We may not know why. But we can still ask God what He wants us to do now.
For the next several messages, we are going to face these questions together.
What if “overcoming adversity” doesn’t always mean getting rid of it immediately?
What if God hasn’t answered yet? Can we trust God while we wait?
What if God’s answer is “no”? Can we trust God when He says “no”?
What if we don’t have the strength to endure? Can we depend on God’s strength when ours isn’t enough?
Can we have peace even if our circumstances don’t change?
God is already at work in your life. The real question is: If God never tells you why, will you still follow Him in what comes next?
May the Lord bless you all.
Chinese version:
當神不告訴你「為什麼」時…
讀經: 詩篇 13:1-6
耶和華啊，你忘記我要到幾時呢？
要到永遠嗎？你掩面不顧我要到幾時呢？
我心裡籌算，終日愁苦，要到幾時呢？我的仇敵升高壓制我，要到幾時呢？
耶和華我的神啊，求你看顧我，應允我，使我眼目光明，免得我沉睡至死，
免得我的仇敵說「我勝了他」，免得我的敵人在我搖動的時候喜樂。
但我倚靠你的慈愛，我的心因你的救恩快樂。
我要向耶和華歌唱，因他用厚恩待我。
我心裡籌算，終日愁苦，要到幾時呢？
我的仇敵升高壓制我，要到幾時呢？
耶和華我的神啊，求你看顧我，應允我，使我眼目光明，免得我沉睡至死，
免得我的仇敵說「我勝了他」，免得我的敵人在我搖動的時候喜樂。
但我倚靠你的慈愛，我的心因你的救恩快樂。
我要向耶和華歌唱，因他用厚恩待我。
當神不告訴你「為什麼」時…
在詩篇 13 篇中，大衛正在受苦。聖經沒有告訴我們原因。他求主回答他。
但在他得到神的回答之前，大衛已經說他要信靠神的慈愛，並因神的救恩而歡喜。
信心並不代表我們不再問「為什麼」。
信心是即使我們的問題還沒有答案，我們仍然選擇信靠神。
在《當你沒有足夠的餅時》，我們學會了祈求、尋找和叩門。我們學會了追求供應者，而不只是供應本身。
但我們也發現一件令人不安的事：神的供應是按著祂的方式，也是按著祂的時間來到。
有時我們向神求一件好事…
祂卻說:「等一下。」
有時祂說：「不。」
有時祂也不告訴我們為什麼。
我曾告訴你們，我問神為什麼讓我的外婆過世。
我的外婆因肺癌生命垂危。她在開始經常失去意識不久之前接受了基督。
我們回到台灣探望她。她有時會醒過來，也認得我們。
當時，我的外公被診斷出患有早期攝護腺癌。他起初不接受手術。他說如果他愛的妻子離世，他也不想再活下去。
但因為外婆有時會醒過來，我們便說服他，說她的病情可能正在好轉。
「 如果她康復了，但你卻去世了，那就會是真正的悲劇！ 」
這句話終於說服了他去接受手術。
我的外公康復了，但外婆不久後便安詳地離世了。
所以，我向神尋求一個答案。
「我的外婆是個好人。為什麼祢讓她死去，而那些作惡的人卻可以繼續活著？」
神用一個夢告訴我 : 祂讓我外婆多活了一些時間，因為她還有一些未完成的事。
當時我以為這一切是為了外公的手術。那段多出來的時間讓他活了下來。對當時的我來說，這個答案已經足夠了。
17年後，我才明白，
神也在給我外公時間，讓他有機會接受基督而得救。
我甚至不知道原來自己還在等待一個更完整的答案。但最後，我終於了解了神的整個計畫。
但有時候，我們可能永遠得不到這樣的答案。
如果答案一直沒有來呢？
如果逆境一直沒有離開呢？
更難的是，有時神甚至不告訴你為什麼。
有時我們知道壞事為什麼發生。
我們做了錯誤的選擇，或有人傷害了我們。
有時，只是因為我們活在一個破碎的世界裡。
但有時，我們就是不知道。
不知道「為什麼」往往很痛苦。因為知道原因至少能讓我們比較容易接受這些壞事。
但不是每一個問題都會被解決，也不是每一個人都會得醫治。
我們可能不知道逆境為什麼發生。但不知道原因並不代表神不能使用它。
問神「為什麼」沒有錯。但我們不能把「明白神的理由」當成信靠神的條件。
信心不能建立在「有一天我一定會得到解釋」之上。
如果神愛我…
如果祂有聽見我…
如果祂能改變這一切… 那祂為什麼沒有這樣做？
你可能在這世上得不到答案。但我們的不明白並不會阻止神工作。
約瑟的故事讓我們看到即使我們看不見神正在做什麼，祂仍然可以工作。
他的哥哥們出賣了他。他在埃及成了奴隸，後來又被誣告下監。
約瑟仍然忠心，即使他看不見自己的旅程將往哪裡去。
多年以後，神把約瑟放在一個能在饑荒中保全許多人生命的位置。
那時，約瑟才明白，神把他放在那個位置是為了拯救埃及和其他地方的人。
所以，當約瑟終於再次見到他的兄弟們時，他可以告訴他們這 22年來他所明白的事。
創世記 50:20 —
「從前你們的意思是要害我，但神的意思原是好的… 要保全許多人的性命。」
神不只在約瑟身上工作，也透過約瑟去幫助別人。
他哥哥們所做的是惡。但他們的惡並沒有能攔阻神的工作。
神藉著他兄弟們的背叛，成就了美好的事。
約瑟的故事不是在解釋每一場逆境為什麼發生。
它告訴我們：即使我們看不明白，神仍然能工作。
無論逆境的原因是什麼，它都不會超出神能夠工作的範圍。
神甚至能使用生命中的逆境使我們成長、幫助別人，並預備我們面對永生。
我們可能不明白神正在做什麼。但我們的不明白不能阻止神工作。
我們可能不知道為什麼 ，但神仍在工作。所以我們必須決定我們要如何回應。
可以繼續問「為什麼」。
但不要停在「為什麼」。
也要問:「神啊，祢現在要我做什麼？」
我真希望能給你們一個祕訣能保證神一定會給我們答案或照著我們所希望的去做。但這樣的祕訣並不存在。
而「神啊，祢現在要我怎麼做?」不一定是問:「我要怎麼把這件事解決掉？」
有時候，需要改變的是我們自己。
我們要求神幫助我們作出改變。
有時候, 時候還沒有到。
神可能要我們耐心等候。
有時候，靠我們自己的力量是不夠的。
神要我們學習倚靠祂的力量。
有時候，痛苦並不會消失。
但神能教導我們，在祂裡面找到滿足和平安。
很多時候，最難熬的就是等待 — 尤其當神似乎沉默不語，而我們又迫切需要一個答案的時候。
有時候，神只讓我們看到事情的一部分。我們往往無法明白祂的時間 。
我問神「為什麼」。祂給了我一個夢。當時，我以為自己已經明白了這個夢的意思。
我甚至不知道原來自己還在等待一個更完整的答案。但17年後，我才終於開始明白神當時在做什麼。
有時候，神會在後來才讓我們明白 — 按著祂的時間，而不是我們的時間。
亞伯拉罕也知道等待是什麼滋味。
神應許他會有自己的後代，但他和撒拉卻一年又一年地等下去。
在迦南等了十年之後，他們決定用自己的方法來解決問題。撒拉的使女夏甲後來生下了以實瑪利。
以實瑪利出生時，亞伯拉罕 86 歲。直到亞伯拉罕 100 歲時，撒拉才生下自己的兒子以撒。
為什麼亞伯拉罕要等這麼久？神為什麼不早一點告訴亞伯拉罕祂的應許什麼時候才會實現？
神並沒有忘記亞伯拉罕。只是亞伯拉罕不知道神的時間。
亞伯拉罕的故事提醒我們：神的時間，可能和我們所期待的很不一樣。
而在等待的過程中，神可能不會告訴我們為什麼，也不會告訴我們這段等待什麼時候才會結束。
他知道神的應許，
只是不知道神的時間。那麼，當神要我們等待時，我們該怎麼辦？
有時候，問題並不是神沒有回答我們…
有時候, 真正的問題是:我們不知道自己什麼時候才會明白神的回答, 甚至不知道今生是否能明白。
我們也許不知道為什麼, 但我們仍然可以問神：「祢現在要我怎麼做?」
接下來幾個信息，我們會一起面對這些問題。
如果「克服逆境」並不總是代表即刻擺脫逆境呢？
如果神還沒有回答呢？我們在等候祂的時候，我們還能信靠祂嗎？
如果神的答案是「不」呢？我們還能信靠祂嗎？
如果我們沒有力量撐下去呢？
當我們的力量不夠時，能倚靠神的力量嗎？
如果環境沒有改變，我們還能有平安嗎？
神已經在你的生命中動工了。真正的問題是：如果神始終不告訴你為什麼，你還願意跟隨祂走下一步嗎？ .
願主保佑各位。
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