One of the most common and most difficult questions people ask is, "Why?" They're wondering things like, "Why did some event happen?" While we won't fully understand all the answers to those questions until we're with the Lord, today's study in Isaiah 45 begins to show us some reasons for "Why?" Isaiah 45 is one of my favorite chapters on the Bible and I believe it will help us understand more of what the Lord is doing in our lives, and why. Join us! DISCUSSION AND STUDY QUESTIONS: 1. When you're facing life's difficulties, how frequently do you ask the question, "Why did God allow this"? What does this question tend to represent? 2. Isaiah 45 begins with a key prophecy about Cyrus. Who was Cyrus? When Isaiah wrote this prophecy around 712 BC, how many years (or centuries) before Cyrus was this prophecy written? According to Josephus (as mentioned in the podcast), what impact did this prophecy have on Cyrus' life? How does this prophecy deepen your trust that the Bible is the Word of God? 3. Verse 1 calls Cyrus the Lord's anointed. What does it mean to be the Lord's anointed? 4. Look over the following verses, what would Cyrus accomplish? a. Verse 1: b. Verse 3: c. Verse 13: d. Verse 14: 5. Skipping down to verse 19, what does the Lord mean by saying "I have not spoken in secret, in some dark land?" How is the Word of God a clear light to the nations? 6. In verses 20 to 25, what is scene that the Lord is summoning the nations to? 7. What does He tell them to do in verse 21? Why are they to consult together? 8. In verse 21, why is it important for us to know that God is righteous? 9. What is the outcome of this courtroom scene in verse 23? What will the people's response be? Why? 10. What will the nations conclude in verse 24? Why is this helpful for us to know when we want to know the answer to "why" God has allowed some things to happen? 11. What does verse 24 mean when it says that the nations will be put to shame? Why were they angry at first? Why did their anger convert to shame? What does this tell us about the Lord's righteousness? 12. In verse 25, how will the Lord be justified? How will He be glorified? 13. When you're facing life's difficulties, how frequently do you ask the question, "Why did God allow this"? What does this question tend to represent? What will all the nations finally conclude in these verses? Check out our Bible Study Guide on the Key Chapters of Genesis! Available on Amazon! To see our dedicated podcast website with access to all our episodes and other resources, visit us at: www.keychapters.org. Find us on all major platforms, or use these direct links: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6OqbnDRrfuyHRmkpUSyoHv Itunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/366-key-chapters-in-the-bible/id1493571819 YouTube: Key Chapters of the Bible on YouTube. As always, we are grateful to be included in the "Top 100 Bible Podcasts to Follow" from Feedspot.com. Also for regularly being awarded "Podcast of the Day" from PlayerFM. Special thanks to Joseph McDade for providing our theme music.