Why Do Bad Things Happen?
by Michelle Jones, founder and editor of Blessingsforlife.com

Our country has suffered a great loss with the recent terrorist attacks, and as everyone grieves over this tragedy, I can feel their anguish of disbelief. My heart breaks with them daily, but I have a constant peace that is beyond understanding, and almost beyond words.  It is with me daily.  

I could write a new letter to you each and every day, there is so much pain and fear in our world right now, and there is so much to be done.  I keep hearing people ask "How could God let this happen," and others answering "God had nothing to do with this." 

I would love to believe God knew nothing about this and was unable to stop it, however, that it not likely.  This was not an accident, this was a well thought out and planned attack.  He knew, and for reasons beyond our understanding, He allowed this to happen.  But as Pastor Miles said in his article, One Nation, Under God... 

"God did not make the decision to destroy lives and property. God did not decide to wreak havoc and terror on a nation. God may be angry, God may be saddened by a nation that rejects Him, but God does not go around killing people that turn from Him. 

John 10:10, "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." 

Satan is the one that comes to kill and to destroy. Christ came so that we may have life."

As I'm sure it is with most of you, I will never forget where I was, how I felt, or the horrific sights of the terrorists attack on September 11th, 2001.  I have four children, the youngest just turned two.  The first thing I wanted to do was gather them all together, hold them tight, and protect them from harm, somehow.  It was the most tragic event I have ever witnessed in my life, I'm 37.

The morning of September 11th...

When I heard the live news update that the first plane had hit the World Trade Center, I was shocked and couldn't believe what I was seeing on the television.  Then, as the windows continued to burst above the crash site and the black smoke became more prominent, I was grieved to realize that the people on those top 20 or so floors were probably trapped.  The smoke was filling up so fast, I knew many would die.  It was horrible.

"There's been an explosion" is what I heard the news reporter say next, I returned to the television and called my husband at work to keep him up to date.  Within minutes, I saw the video replay, the explosion was actually another plane that had crashed into the second tower, now both of them were on fire.  

My heart raced, my legs were weak, I knew something was TERRIBLY wrong.  I was almost shaking, the fear and anticipation of what was actually happening was unreal.  I couldn't understand why I was so intensely upset, we've seen tragedies many times before, but something felt different.  It felt desperate, and evil. 

A short while later the truth was revealed, a third plane was hijacked and had just crashed into the Pentagon.  Our country was under attack.  

Having recently visited the Washington D.C. area for the first time, I had flashbacks of what an incredible place of power it was, the heart of our nation.  Now I knew the reason for my intensity, this was very serious, a nightmare happening before our eyes.  Someone was trying to destroy us. 

I prayed and I prayed, pacing back and forth in my living room.  I denounced Satan aloud and begged God to stop the attacks.  The next attack was thwarted by the brave passengers of the plane that went down in PA, and I knew that the entire nation had been praying with me. 

The people who died on that plane gave their lives that others might be saved, and one of those brave men had a two-month old baby at home, waiting for him to return.

When bad things happen, and especially when people are tragically killed, it can be devastating and confusing to those of us who remain behind.  The question never fails to arise, "If God is in control (which we have faith that He is), then why does He allow these things to happen to innocent people?" 

Though nothing has happened in my life that can compare with the devastation of this tragedy...

Through many trials in my own life, someone has sat beside me in my time of suffering shaking their heads, saying, "I just don't understand why bad things happen to good people, it's not fair."  I have found myself saying the same thing when others suffer through a difficult situation or the loss of a loved one. It's a perplexing question all right, and several books have been written on the subject over the years, selling millions of copies.

It is not easy to understand why bad things happen, but they do.  God did not promise to take this time of prophesied turmoil on the earth away, but He did promise to comfort us and bring something good out of our trials and pain.  I know that in my own life, I trust God knows what He's doing. 

When something bad happens that I do not understand, I don't blame Him for not being there, for I believe with all of my heart that He is with us always, even in the darkness.  I know that He sees the big picture, and all I see is what surrounds me.  If He decides to take me out of this world tomorrow, it will only be because it is within His will.  One of my favorite preachers refers to it as... "a promotion."

Tragic Deaths

Three years ago Rich Mullins, my favorite Christian music artist, was killed in a tragic automobile accident involving a semi-tractor trailer. The details are still uncertain to me, but what I heard was too graphic to mention here. The Christian community mourned his tragic and untimely death.

The news was also devastating to me personally, not only because his music had ministered to my spirit on a daily basis for many years, but also because he was an incredible Christian who had devoted his life to ministering to others. He had even taken a vow of poverty, giving most of his earnings away to charity... a definite 'good people.' 

I couldn't understand how God could let him die such a tragic death, but I also couldn't understand why God thought it was Rich's time for promotion.  Rich was so young, and we would miss him terribly. I cried for 3 weeks, and even still, tears well up in my eyes every time I hear his music. Some of his songs you might recognize are Our God is an Awesome God, The Just Will Live by Faith, and Step by Step.

My Conclusion 

After trying to come to terms with his death in my own anguish, I came to a full understanding that God already knows suffering more than we could ever imagine. To sacrifice His perfect Son, by a gruesome crucifixion, and to volunteer Him to die for the sins of the entire world... how can anything we suffer through compare to this? 

God is a loving father to all of His children, but He goes beyond what any earthly father could do. He sees the big picture and does what is best for everyone concerned. We are not in this world just for ourselves, and when He sees fit to allow a disaster or trial to come into our lives... know that He will also bring incredible blessings out of it, blessings that could not have happened otherwise.

Trust Him.  No matter what lies ahead my dear friends, do not be afraid, for God knows each and every one of us intimately, and He who hears God knows God.  Nothing can remove us from His hand!  

When we trust Him, we have a peace that is beyond our own understanding.

"My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.  I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand."

John 10:28 (NIV)

*  *  *

Copyright 2001 by Michelle Jones, editor@blessingsforlife.com