October 2017 Monthly Letter
Dear Reconciler Family,
The topic of this letter is: Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people?
I have been pondering this question recently after hearing about some of the devastating weather patterns that have wreaked so much havoc. There was the Houston flooding and the Florida flooding by Hurricane Irma in the Mar-A-Lago Resort area. And besides that, there are so many people suffering in Las Vegas, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Puerto Rico!
Many lives have been lost and some feel the count could continue to rise. Men and women from surrounding areas, including the United States, are working feverishly hoping to save lives and property. I find it inspiring to see this kind of love expressed by complete strangers! Indeed, this is a Godly act. Our prayers are with them!
The thought that comes to mine when pondering the question of why God allows bad things to happen to good people is: the secret things belong to the Lord. Indeed, Deuteronomy 29:29 says: “The secret things belong unto the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law.” Just as God told the ancient Israelites to keep His commandments, He is telling us to follow the teachings of Jesus.
God wants obedience from us, as well as trust and faith, regardless of “what comes our way.” And some of those things that come our way are difficult. Have you noticed? But in the end they are for our good.
Jeremiah 33:3 states “call to me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things which you do not know.” God has great and mighty things that He wants to share with us his children!
The thought that comes to mind is the song: Our God is an awesome God, He reigns from heaven above with wisdom power and love! God is love. And he loves us dearly. And He will never stop loving us no matter what comes our way! That Includes Houston, Texas, Florida, Porto Rico, Mexico City and all the other areas that were recently hit by hurricanes and flooding!
God’s secrets belong to Him and not to us his children. And some of those secrets will not be given to us, unless He decides to reveal them. His prophets didn’t understand all the things that God showed them. It gives me great comfort that God will parcel out things that we need to know and withhold things that we don’t need to know. Perhaps they might be “too hot handle” for us.
The moral of the story is that God has secrets about and for us that we don’t know yet. They belong to Him. We will know them in due time when He’s ready to reveal them to us.
Our main duty on this earth during the brief life that we have is to seek His will and follow it. He has secrets for us that we will not see in this life. Scriptures tell us: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, nor mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.” 1 Corinthians 2:8-9.
Of course He is not saying that we will know all things instantly. Just imagine the moment that you see Jesus face to face! And then, the Father and Holy Spirit! It reminds me of the song “I Can Only Imagine.”
And then, imagine being on a tour with Jesus, perhaps with some angels, to see some of the awesomeness of heaven, the angels and other creatures in the heavenly places. And then imagine living there forever and ever! And imagine sharing meals with Jesus, the Father and the Holy Spirit! Yes, indeed!!! We can only imagine!
Again, as we ponder the question, “Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people?” I guess we’ll have to wait and see. It’s an exciting wait!!! May God bless us all on our waiting journey.
