Grieving WellSample

When tragedy strikes, many might question whether or not God is good. When the Lord takes someone we love home suddenly, it might seem as though God is selfish. A lot of people have walked away from the faith because they hear Christians preaching about a good God who takes those we love from us with no explanation.

To respond to that, I would first say, if you get rid of God, you’ve still got your problem. There’s still sickness and evil. I think about Jesus’ question to Peter in John 6:67-68. He says, “Will you leave me?” And Peter’s answer is, “Where would we go? You have the words of eternal life.” The point is that you haven’t solved your problem by running from or denying God.

Second, have you ever noticed we only question the goodness of God when bad things happen? We accept His goodness in the good times, but we deny His goodness when things go bad. We have to put the badness of a situation against the history of God’s goodness.

Third, we get to that age-old question: why do we have all of this pain, and how can a good God allow evil? God has given humanity a choice. With that choice comes the potential for both good and evil. Freedom allows evil to exist, but we make evil happen. That’s why we need a sovereign God, who can and does intervene in our situation and effect good out of the bad. He really is in control even when the affairs of your life are out of control.

PRAYER: Lord, I choose You and Your ways over the ways of humanity. I acknowledge that You are in control and even though life is filled with both evil and good, You can work all those things together for a greater good. Help me trust fully in this truth. I choose to trust You regardless of the pain I face. In Christ's name, amen.