and hear people ask...
If there is a God above, why does He let bad things happen?
It was made clear in today's Upper Room meditation. God gave us a beautiful world to live in. He gave us free will. We've gone and screwed up big time. We've also relentlessly, in the pursuit of our own selfish needs and purposes, not bothered about the impact of our selfish decisions on other people and on the world. But God does not leave us alone....He's always there....silently, lovingly holding us close....As the writer says in the Upper Room, "God does not cause such tragedies, but God is present in them. '[God] does not willingly afflict or grieve anyone' (Lam 3:33, NRSV). God works through all the horrible things that happen to draw us closer to Him."
One of my mother's favorite lines was:
Underneath are His everlasting arms.