When God Doesn’t Tell Us Why

June 17, 2026/Daniel Rowlands/
Photo Credit: Billy Williams on Unsplash

Photo Credit: Billy Williams on Unsplash

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Many things were unknown to Job, especially why he was suffering and what was going on behind the scenes. Our suffering and that of others is no different. We ask: Why me? What did I do to deserve this? How is it all going to turn out? Where are the answers to my prayers?

We can’t know with absolute certainty the exact reasons for our sufferings.

Job’s suffering was so terrible that he wished he had just died at birth (Job 3). Then his three friends added insult to injury when they tried to explain that the reason for his suffering must be that he committed some egregious sin (e.g., Job 4). In all they tried to do to help, they really had no idea what the reason was for Job’s suffering. It was a huge unknown for Job and for his friends, just like for our own trials. We search for reasons hoping to find the answers in order to fix our problems, and we question our faith—does God really know what he’s doing? We have a hard time with the unknown.

What are we to make of all our unknowns? First, as Christians it is a fact that we will suffer just as Christ suffered (2 Cor. 1:5; 1 Pet. 2:21). Following Christ means walking in his footsteps of suffering and affliction. Second, we may never know why. True, God uses our suffering to discipline us (Heb. 12:3-11), and afflictions are one of the ways God strengthens our faith as we look to him for wisdom and steadfastness (James 1: 2-4). But, all that said, we can never with absolute certainty know exactly why. So much suffering we see and experience is a big unknown, and it is fruitless to try and figure it all out.

It’s better to focus on what we know, what God has revealed, rather than what we don’t know.

For example, at the beginning of the ninth chapter of the Gospel of John, Jesus meets a man born blind. Immediately his disciples ask Jesus,

“Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” (John 9:1).

Just like Job’s friends, Jesus’ disciples jumped to the conclusion that some sin, perhaps a hidden one, must have been the cause of his blindness and they wanted Jesus to tell them what it was:

Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.” (John 9:3)

In other words, until Jesus revealed that the man’s blindness occurred at birth in order that God’s actions might be seen by all, the people tried to draw a straight line between some particular sin and suffering. This was a big mistake. Just like Job’s suffering, the reason the blind man was afflicted was unknown until God revealed it. We can learn from this about our own “unknowns”—it’s better to focus on what we know, what God has revealed, rather than what we don’t know. Consider Deuteronomy 29:29:

“The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.”

The almighty Lord, who created everything and knows everything, is incomprehensible to our small and finite minds.

In fact, Job did get an answer from the Lord after he pleaded with God, whose painful silence felt like cruelty and persecution (Job 30:21). The Lord responded to Job with a rebuke:

“Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?” (Job 38:2)

Humbling Job, the Lord asked,

“Have you commanded the morning since your days began, and caused the dawn to know its place…” (Job 38:12)

“Have the gates of death been revealed to you, or have you seen the gates of deep darkness?” (Job 38:17)

Job can only respond in silence, for the almighty Lord, who created everything and knows everything, is incomprehensible to our small and finite minds. When he finally regathers his wits, Job says,

“Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer you? I lay my hand on my mouth.” (Job 40:4)

Job has no answer because he doesn’t know the unknown. But he does know God is sovereign and mighty:

“I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.” (Job 42:2)

In all the unknowns of our sufferings, we can have confidence in our loving God, who knows all things.

God doesn’t tell us everything, but what he has revealed—what is known—is there for our faith, hope, love, comfort, and sanctification. From Scripture we know who God is, we know our fallen state of sinfulness, we know Christ Jesus as the only way of salvation to eternal life, and we know that a glorious heaven awaits us. These “knowns” are where we ought to place our focus rather than on the secret things of God that he has decided not to reveal to us.

Suffering tests us here—we really want to know why: What did I do? How can I fix it? Yet, it’s better to remember all the wonderful things we enjoy from God’s loving and merciful hands, for we know that “every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights (James 1:17). So, when you suffer—and you have and you will—it’s better to “count it all joy” (James 1:2), for we can have confidence that it is our loving God who knows all things and will be glorified through whatever he calls us to endure.

This article is adapted from “Confidence Amid the Unknown of Our Suffering” in Beautiful Christian Life’s February 2024 newsletter, “The Unknown.”

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