Why God, Why?

Why does God allow certain things to happen to people?

I seriously do not have an answer for every specific thing that happens to people; only God knows why He does what He does. If I had the answers, I'd never have to be concerned about anything else in life. But then, God wants us to seek Him for answers, and not one another.

A follower on Twitter posed the situation to me:  He said, "My wife had a heart attack and died in front of our year and half baby. Why did God allow that to happen?"

My response to him was this: I don't know why God allows things to happen to people. My brother was killed by my mother and I suffered from the event, but the same event brought me into relationship with God and now--not only can I have joy in my life, but I can encourage others. God knows what He's doing and all things will work out for our good. Just trust Him!

While some may not agree with my response, I know without a doubt that it was the best response I could give Him. All too often many try to explain why God does things when they don't know any more than anyone else. God is God. He doesn't have to explain Himself to us and He certainly does not need our permission to do anything.

However, there are some things in life that we do to ourselves that bring about certain consequences. If we are not conscious about our physical health and how we treat our bodies, we put ourselves into position to suffer the consequences of--heart attack, stroke, diabetes, certain cancers, etc. If we are not conscious of how we treat others, we will suffer the consequences of depression, loneliness, and other mental illnesses. Drug abuse, alcohol abuse, tobacco use, lack of exercise, overeating, unprotected sexual activity, and just plain meanness can create situations that cause us harm and could lead to death. Let's face it, if we would simply read and understand The Word, follow the instructions, and know God's voice and obey, we could avoid a lot of negative stuff occurring in our lives. It's all in there--we just need to know what "it" is and live to the glory of God!

Father, in the name of Jesus, give us understanding of how to treat our bodies--the temple where Holy Spirit lives and how to live to Your glory. Comfort the hearts of those who have lost loved ones and guide them in their grief to You, as only You can. Pour onto us Your wisdom so we may encourage one another to endure to the end and finish this race, in life.