Why does God allow bad things happen to good people? This question is one I have heard more times than I care to remember, and yet it is also one that I, myself, have sought the Lord to answer on every occasion. This past week, I have spent much time pondering this question. Not for any particular reason, but rather that, when asked, I can help others to come to a greater understanding of the truth—this truth that I have lived a life attempting to understand and have now become able to comprehend. The most memorable time of asking this question of God was with the sickness and passing of my first wife of thirty-one years. She was a good person, and we served the Lord together. She was a good mother who gave herself for many, and truly the Lord was blessed by her time on earth. Yet He allowed her to succumb to cancer. The widespread disappointment that followed was accompanied by this same question in various forms: “Why God?” In the depth of my despair, in the darkness of night, I sought the Lord for answers. I challenged Him, became angry with Him, and, yes, I even yelled at Him! May I just say that it is OK to be real with God; He can handle your yelling and frustration. As I walked through the valley of the shadow of death, it truly was easy to not fear evil, for, you see, the first thing we must all conclude is that our God is sovereign. To be sovereign means to possess supreme or ultimate power, and that is our God; there is none greater than He. If He is sovereign, then He allows all things that happen to happen for His purposes and to our benefit. Therefore, fearing the trial I am going through, or fearing evil, means I need to work on my belief of God’s sovereignty in my life. He is also a loving God who desires that we love and obey Him unconditionally. He created the perfect life for all mankind in the beginning. The Garden of Eden was not a place filled with disease, dangers, or even death. It was man, by his own choosing, who stepped out of God’s will and brought the curse upon mankind. You see, God’s heart was never to destroy man, but rather to bless him. And since God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, He did not stop loving mankind because of the fall. No, but what He did do was provide a way through sacrifice, through Jesus, for man to be reconciled to Him. Somehow this does not sound like a mean God who is looking to kill babies and cause suffering on His people. We must remember that satan, by his deception of man, is the ruler of this world. He is a liar, a murderer, and a deceiver who seeks to destroy all of mankind, if possible. There is no good in him. He creates drug addicts, diseases, sickness, pain, suffering, greed, poverty, and more; he is pure unadulterated evil! Yet knowing this, so many have not just fallen for his traps but have jumped in with desire and passion. It is far too often that they are the ones who spend their life participating in satisfying the desires of the flesh and also the first to blame God when things go wrong. No surprise here–isn’t that what the devil would have us do? So, what do we do when we are faced with trials, disappointments, fears, doubts, disease, death, and more? As simple as it may sound, my friend, trust me when I say, “We lean on Jesus; we kneel at the feet of the Lord; we wait upon the Holy Spirit.” There are no problems in this world bigger than God, and there is no one who will ever love you more than He. He will never leave nor forsake you, and nothing can ever separate us from His love. (Romans 8:38-39) Before, during, and after Dawn’s death, I have become even more convinced that the Lord cares about every detail of His children’s lives. Those who leave this world with Christ are in heaven–no more suffering–they are better off than we. So, let us learn to be happy for those who have gone before us and live a life that is worthwhile and honoring to their memory by trusting God in all things! Gene Burroughs, Servant of God Navarre, FL