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How Could God Let This Happen?
A child spends the morning building a beautiful sand castle on the beach. The family then leaves the beach for lunch and returns in the afternoon. To the disbelief of the child, his beautiful sand castle has been washed away by the rising tide. Now distraught, he just doesn’t understand how this could happen.
A family purchases a beautiful new home in the forest of the Rocky Mountains. Then one night, a forest fire burns their home to the ground. The family is distraught and in a state of disbelief; they just don’t understand how God could let this happen.
A man spends all his life working long hours to establish himself as a partner in his firm. He finally reaches retirement age, only to find out that he has brain cancer, with only two years to live. He is distraught and in a state of disbelief. He just doesn’t understand how God could let this happen.
A woman spends her life working hard to meet the needs of her job, as well as her family. Because of her commitment to Christ, she misses out on many promotions at work and loses friendships and relationships with family members. She just doesn’t understand how God could let this happen.
We each have our own struggles and sometimes ask, “How could God let this happen?”
God established and controls all the cycles on our planet. We must come to the realization that these cycles are not going to change, just because we build a sand castle on the beach or a house in the Rocky Mountains. We must accept the cycle of life, even if it does not fit into our retirement plans.
As Christians, God is in control of all aspects of our lives. Who are we to say that losing a job or not getting promoted at work, losing a friendship or a relationship with a family member fits or does not fit into God’s plan for our future?
We often sing:
Have Thine own way Lord
Have Thine own way
Thou art the potter I am the clay
Mold me and make me after Thy will
While I am waiting yielded and still
Thou art the potter I am the clay.
Do we really believe this?
As Christians, we need to understand that God’s wisdom and power are far beyond our comprehension. We just need to be willing to accept our role as the clay.
So where do we go from here???
Matthew 6:25-34 (NIV) [Do Not Worry] 25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? 28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
As Christians, we relinquish all control of our lives to God, as we “seek first His kingdom and His righteousness.” He then assures us that He is totally taking care of all our needs. Therefore, we should trust in Him and enjoy the peace that surpasses all understanding. Regardless of what life deals us, God is there to see us through all the ups and downs. In fact, what we think of as downs in life may not actually be a down at all. We just simply do not understand the work of the Potter.
Let us consider the life of Job. After all he had been through, he only had one question for God- “Why?”
What was God’s answer to Job?
Job 38: 1-5 (NIV) [The LORD Speaks] 1 Then the LORD spoke to Job out of the storm. He said: 2 “Who is this that obscures my plans with words without knowledge? 3 Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me. 4 “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand. 5 Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it?
So, what IS the answer to the question: “How could God let this happen to me?” Maybe it is just the daily tidal cycle or one of the other cycles of our planet. Maybe it is just the life cycle of humans. Maybe, just maybe, if we truly are “seeking first His kingdom and His righteousness,” it is the work of the Potter.
Who are we to question the Potter?
- Lindsay Scott
