Does God Allow Tragedy?

By Barbara Latta

Last week’s murderous tirade is only the latest in the spree of tragedies occurring in our

Does God allow tragedy?

country. News anchors and politicians are quick to speculate on the cause of people going on tangents to kill and maim.

The question of “Why?” can be answered simply. Evil.

The person in Las Vegas was consumed with evil no matter what the label. Some say he was psychotic which was passed down to him through his father’s genes. That’s a way to try to excuse his behavior.

Multiple times over the past years, we have faced tragedy at the hands of those who have chosen to kill.

Any many people ask the question, “Why does God allow tragedy if He is so good?”

The answer is, He doesn’t.

Then how can it happen? How can anything happen that a Supreme God isn’t allowing because He has the power to stop it.

God gives us all a choice. People can choose to do evil or submit to God and follow His ways. God doesn’t force anyone to choose to be saved. We can’t control what another person does but we can control our own choices and our ability to stand on the Word for protection and direction.

Adam had the authority to throw the snake
out of the Garden.

God told Adam to take dominion over the earth and subdue it. That meant when the snake came Adam had the authority to throw him out of the garden instead of listening to his lying voice.

Obviously, Adam didn’t heed the voice of God. He was walking and talking with God every day in a perfect world and yet He didn’t know His Creator intimately enough to trust what the Lord said.

After Adam fell, the devil became the god of this world. The authority Adam had was stolen and Satan began his reign of destruction and chaos.

Jesus came as the second Adam and redeemed man from the curse and returned that authority to His church. (1 Corinthians 15:45)

Upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it (Matthew 16:18b NASB).

And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:18-19 NASB).

You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4).

And Psalm 91 tells us that God is our protector and deliverer but it is up to us to stand and declare the Word of the Lord to make that power effective in our lives.

Some argue that God allows things to happen to teach us lessons. Well, we can learn from hard knocks because God doesn’t waste anything that happens to us. He can bring good out of tragedy, but the way He wants us to learn is by His Word. If we are following His Word we can avoid a lot of things. God is getting blamed for things the devil is doing.

God allows all people to make choices.

I can look back over my life and see the times I made wrong choices. Those were times God was not in control of me. I was in control of me. And I paid the price for those choices. Yes, God redeemed my mistakes but a lot of pain could have been avoided if I had been following God’s direction.

The answer to all these tragedies is not more laws, gun control or debating it to death.

People must be changed at the heart level and then their behavior will be changed. This is the commission of the Church.

Despite the evil that is happening, God is greater. But where sin increased, grace abounded all the more (Romans 5:20b NASB).

God is good. The devil is bad.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it abundantly (John 10:10 NASB).

What are your thoughts?

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