Why did God allow my son to be killed? Why did God allow this beautiful Christian girl to lose her leg? Why did God allow . . .? I have been asked this question more than any other question through my ministry. For a grief-stricken loved one, no answer is sufficient. Asking such questions during the grieving process is normal. People want someone or something to blame. However, the greater issue is the people who blame God and become so angry with Him that they stop actively serving Him. I have known long time believers that, after a tragedy, lived the rest of their life angry with God.
If God is sovereign and omnipotent — why? Maybe in eternity, we will understand the whys, but in this life time, I am not sure there is an absolute answer that we could comprehend. What we must remember is that we live in a fallen and sinful world. Besides the all-powerful God, another being affects the affairs of the universe. Lucifer was the most powerful and beautiful of the angels. However, he became prideful and sought to overthrow God, even though he was created by God. Isaiah writes what many scholars believe refers to the beginning of this effort. “But you said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, and I will sit on the mount of assembly In the recesses of the north.’ I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High’ (Isa 14:13, 14). In respond, the LORD cast him out of heaven along with the angels who chose to follow Lucifer’s rebellion. We now know them as Satan and his demons.
God did not need to create the universe, the angels, or man. He knew all the good and evil that would take place before He created anything. Yet, He still chose to create. It appears that He gave angels freedom to choose because at some point, Lucifer chose not to obey His Creator. God also gave mankind the ability to choose. The LORD desires to have angels, men, and women make a personal choice to love and to obey Him and not something He forces them to do.
After Lucifer’s choice to disobey God and was cast down to the earth, he is found in the Garden of Eden in the form of a serpent tempting Adam and Eve to disobey the LORD’s command. They also chose to disobey. If Satan could not overpower God, he would destroy His people. Thus, began the struggle of the cosmos between good and evil. Could the all-powerful God have prevented this? Yes, but He desired to have a people who would make a free choice to serve Him. Thus, also began Satan’s efforts to bring temptation, pain, and evil to all men, especially those who would choose to serve God. He still desires to overthrow the LORD. He will continue his efforts until he is finally cast into the lake of fire along with all who chose not to obey their Creator.
Since his first attack on man, Satan has brought about sickness, tragedy, terror, murder, stealing, etc., in other words, everything evil and bad. Satan is pleased when he causes a tragedy and those affected blame the LORD. When bad things happen, rather than blame God and be angry with Him, we should place the blame where it belongs, on Satan, and be angry with him. Paul repeatedly reminds us that believers are in a war against evil. Six times, he referred to believers as soldiers. He told Timothy, Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus (2 Tim 2:3).
Unfortunately, in all wars, physical and spiritual, there are casualties. People are wounded; people die. This past week has been a vivid reminder of the war taking place in our world with the bombings during the Boston marathon. Innocent people died. Ultimately, it is not just a war between nations or between religions. We do not war against flesh and blood but against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Physical war is merely a manifestation of Satan’s war against God and His people. As Donna and I watched the 911 tragedy in 2001, I said to her, “I wonder what Satan and his demons are doing in the spiritual realm? They are the real cause.”
We must look beyond the individuals who inflicted so much suffering last week and see the bigger picture. Whether the bombers were influenced directly or indirectly, the ultimate human sources are those filled with hatred because of their false beliefs about Jesus Christ. Yet, we cannot stop here. There is still an even larger picture. Beyond the human terrorists is the spiritual author of all evil acts — Satan and his demons.
The devil is a liar; he is a deceiver; he is an accuser; he is the tempter; he is a destroyer; he is warring against God — a war he cannot win. Before we blame God for allowing something bad to happen, examine the whole picture. God cannot and does not do anything bad. Many Christians do not even realize they are part of a spiritual war taking place around them. Some may become a spiritual casualty and never understand what has happened to them. Some will blame God and become angry with Him. Evil comes from Satan.
Sustaining Word for the Week:
Are you blaming God for something? Are you angry with God? Put the blame where it belongs—Satan. We are part of an ongoing spiritual war, but Satan cannot win because Jesus has already won!