Is it okay to ask God “why”?

In this bonus study from Job 10, Dr. Toby Holt asks a question every hurting believer has felt: is it allowed to bring God our raw, grief-filled “why”?

Job, the most righteous man on earth, tells God plainly that he loathes his life and wants to know why God is contending with him. Dr. Holt explains that God is big enough to receive our honest laments — asking “why” in our pain does not mean God loves us less. He points to others who cried out the same way: Moses, Elijah, Jeremiah, David, and Paul. Bringing our questions to God is not a failure of faith; it is an act of faith, and God meets us in the asking.

Questions this study answers:

1. Is it wrong to ask God “why” when we suffer? No. Job, the most righteous man on earth, asked God why — and so did Moses, Elijah, and David. God welcomes our honest cries.

2. Does asking “why” mean our faith is weak? Not at all. Bringing our pain to God is itself an act of trust. It turns toward Him rather than away from Him.

3. Is God indifferent to our pain? No. God is not cold or distant. He receives the laments of His people and draws near to the brokenhearted.

“I will say to God, ‘Do not condemn me; show me why You contend with me.’” — Job 10:2 (NKJV)

Speaker: Dr. Toby Holt is the President of New Geneva Theological Seminary, a Reformed seminary in Colorado Springs. He is known for clear, down-to-earth Bible teaching, and his sermons have been downloaded more than 1.9 million times on SermonAudio.

Listen and go deeper: This sermon is part of the Job Explained study from New Geneva Theological Seminary. Find more verse-by-verse teaching across the Bible at newgeneva.org. To support this teaching ministry, visit newgeneva.org/give.