"I Must Trust God Even Though I Don't Understand Him"

I am always on the lookout for those rare Christians who suffer well. I pull up alongside them in their grief and their questioning and I learn much about my self, my own sufferings and my enigmatic God. Authors like Nicholas Wolterstorff and Gerald Sittser have been incredibly helpful to me.

Add to these heroes of mine Dr. Frank James III. In his article entitled, "In the Shadow of Mount Hood: Meeting God in the Mystery of Grief," he describes in profound, honest ways his wrestling with faith and grief in the presence of God as he lost his brother to Mt. Hood in Oregon. Read it in its entirety. Here's one of my favorite sections:

One question haunts me: Where was God when Kelly was freezing to death on Mount Hood? For me, it is not whether I should ask such a question, but how I ask it. One can ask the question in a fit of rage, shaking one's fist at God. Many of us, if we are candid, have done that. But once the primal anger settles to a low boil, we can—and, I would submit, should—ask the question.

I am not suggesting that mere mortals can stand in judgment of God or call him to account. God does not report to me. But an honest question posed from a broken heart is to my mind a good and righteous thing.

To ask this hard question is an act of faith. It presupposes a genuine relationship in which the creature actually engages the Creator. If God is my Father, can't I humbly ask why he did not come to Kelly's rescue? For me, to not ask this question would be a failure to take God seriously.