Why Do Bad Things Happen?

Why do innocent people get brutally murdered? Why do people suffer? Where is God when terrible, senseless acts of violence happen?

We can’t make sense out of the horrific attack on a house of worship. We are heartbroken, dismayed, angered, confused, and fearful.

Tragedies are part of life and hit us in the gut, reminding us that our time on earth is fleeting. We don’t know how or when it will be gone and it can be gone in an instant.

A discourse that has circulated forever is that of good versus evil and God’s allowing bad things to happen to innocent people.

I believe it will be a talked about until the end of time.

God did not create puppets. He made us as individuals with free wills. Since we have the freedom to choose, there will always be those who choose evil over good. What happens to good people when bad things happen? If there was no disease, there’d be no creative minds to work on eradicating them. No life-threatening accidents-no emergency room surgeons to operate and save lives. No dangers-no safety measures created by humans to try to keep us safe. God’s created us with the intellect for self-improvement; to build, construct and secure our environment, making earth better. It’s what being human is all about. In our ambition, if we forget the foundation of faith and love, our innate human instinct can turn to fear and hate which produces destruction, war and evil.

As we grieve the loss of so many innocent people, who were killed so viciously, remember where God is. God is in the people who rescue others. He is in those who deliver meals to survivors, weep with and counsel the wounded, and pray for the devastated and confused.

But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. -Psalm 86:15