“Who works out everything in
conformity with the purpose of His will.”
-Ephesians 1:11
Have you ever struggled with why bad
things happen to good people? Sooner or later you are bound to face it.
Is God a loving Father who has a plan
and a purpose for His children? Or is He a loving Father who, at times, cannot
control the tragic circumstances which strike His children? If He is in
control, how do you explain tragedy? Clearly both cannot be true. One reason
why Christians struggle with the issue is that our concept of God is much like
a blurred photograph. We have never got a clear image of God stamped in our
hearts. We can’t think much about God other than in terms of what we need or
want.
When we pray, we think little about
the nature and character of Him to whom we address our requests. Instead, we
are overwhelmed with our immediate needs and problems. Our knowledge of God is
secondhand. Our image of Him – rather than being formed by the study of God’s
Word – is fragmented, formed from other people’s ideas and thoughts. Then when
tragedy strikes, we try to comprehend this situation but don’t have the
resources to handle it.
There is no other reason why
Christians struggle with the issue. We often attempt to define God in terms of
tragedy, rather than a proper understanding of God through the Bible. In light
of wars and murders, rapes and violence, tragedy and heartache, we try to
reconcile God and evil, and the results are not very satisfactory.
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