Send me your questions
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Questions not answered by me.
"A christian friend of mine was killed by a drunk driver. Why does God allow bad things to happen to his people?"
I can understand why you'd ask that question, we make a mistake if we blame God.
The bible clearly states that God does not create evil (see Genesis 1:31 and 1Timothy 4:4). Death came into the world when Adam and Eve sinned (see 1Corinthians 12:21), and it's going to be with us until Jesus comes back. There are a ton of evil forces in to world that cause us pain-including death. But God is hard at work fighting these forces. And one day, he's going to destroy death (see 1 Corinthians 15:26). In the meantime, God tells us that "in this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world!" (John 16:33).
A friend of mine, the chaplain of a college, was brokenhearted when he found out one of his brightest students, a Christian, had been hit by a bus and killed. One upset student asked my friend, "Why did Jesus kill Cliff?" My friend answered, "You're an intelligent person. You ought to be able to tell the difference between Jesus and a bus!"
While God doesn't make bad things happen, the Bible promises us that in the midst of bad things. God works to bring good out of it all (see Romans 8:28). There used to be a guy who had his own TV show, And one of the other guys on the show, Jose Melos, was a fantastic piano players. Sometimes the show host would walk over to the piano and slap his hands down on a bunch of keys. They made an awful sound, of course. Then he would say, "Ok, Jose, let's see what you can make out of that mess!" Jose would them put his fingers on the exact keys the show host had played and build those sounds into a magnificent melody. Incredibly, the clashing sound became and a beautiful song.
God can do that with the messes in our lives. God is able to take our tragedies and mistakes we make, and turn them into something beautiful.
I'm a college professor. Sometimes I ask my students, "What is the most evil thing that has ever happaned in human history?" They always answer "The crucifixion of Jesus!" Then I ask,"What is the most wonderful thing that has ever happaned in human history?" The same students say "The crucifixion of Jesus!" This horrible event, which was the result of our sin, was taken by God and transformed into something that has blessed people everywhere.
God doesn't make bad things happen, but he is at work in the middle of all things, overcoming evil with good and turning tragedy into blessings. So, instead of asking, "Why does God allow bad things to happen?" we should be asking, "What can God do through this tragedy? How can I work with God to turn this into something good!"
-Tony Campolo, sociology professor at Eastern College. Tony is a dynamic speaker and the author of several books for teens.
(Excerpt from Teen Devotional Bible)