Beyond Common Sense

I’ve often heard people ask this question in various forms. Someone might even apply it to the tragedy of the Texas flood. How could a good God allow such a horrible, heartrending incident to happen? If He is an all-powerful God, He could have stopped it from happening. That is a true statement. Sadly, viewing God through that lens always leads to a wrong conclusion.

Years ago, I had a situation come up in a conversation concerning an incident at our church. Someone questioned me about one of the choir members eating M&Ms in the choir loft. With only the information she saw, she came to the conclusion that this woman had done something inappropriate. What she didn’t know was that the woman was diabetic. That little piece of information changed the conclusion.

We often make faulty conclusions because we view God from a human point of view. It reminds me of a statement about Aslan in The Chronicles of Narnia: “He is not a tame lion.” What is meant by that?

Aslan is a type of Christ in the books, even to the point of dying to save the kingdom from evil. He comes and rescues the Narnians just at the right time—a time he determines. Difficulties happen. People struggle and die. He does not keep everyone or everything from tragedy, because he has all the information.

Our amazing God is not only omnipotent but also omniscient—He knows everything, those important pieces of information we may never know this side of heaven. In Job, we never read that Job was told the reason for his suffering at the time it happened. We may never see all the ramifications of a trial, but God does. He orchestrates those dark chapters for a reason.

So, the question is not “Why would a good God allow this to happen?” The question should be, “Can I trust this amazing all-knowing, all-powerful, ever-present, all-loving God?” Although it may seem impossible, that trust will become the lifeline we need to pull us through those trying times.

For me, knowing that I have a gracious, heavenly Father, who sees and knows all things, is a great joy and comfort, and I gladly place my life and faith in Him. Why wouldn’t I trust the God who already knows my future?

“There is no one like the God
of Jeshurun, Who rides the heavens to help you,
And in His excellency on the clouds.
The eternal God is your refuge,
And underneath
are the everlasting arms.”

Deuteronomy 33:26-27 (NKJV)