Isaiah 37:26 ~ “Long ago I ordained it.  In the days of old I planned it.”

This verse speaks to the truth that whatever comes to pass has been determined by a sovereign God.   Even in a time such as this.   The big question in the minds of many is “why?”

Hard questions about a good God who says He is sovereign but allows suffering.  Humanity has been wrestling with this dilemma since the time of Job.

Jon Bloom coined a phrase I love: “God makes sin (evil) a slave to His grace.“

Think about that for a minute. This means that God can take the most evil, tragic circumstance and redeem it into something holy and redemptive.  God can prove Himself greater than any evil.  There are examples throughout the Bible (Genesis 50:20) - but the crucifixion and the cross speak the loudest to this truth.

The crucifixion is diabolical.  Satan determined to use the cruelest methods to torture and destroy. But God proved Himself greater than the greatest evil and used the crucifixion in eternal, redemptive and righteous ways. The resurrection of Jesus Christ gives God the victory. And God graciously shares His victory with us in eternal and personal ways as believers.  Satan’s motive for suffering is hopelessness and destruction.  God’s motive is restoration, refinement and justice.

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I am not sure if we will ever completely understand evil.  Or the good ... isn't that what Eve wanted to know when she ate the fruit of the tree of good and evil?  To know what God knows about evil and good?  In our finite minds we cannot comprehend the depths of evil or the heights of love.  We will just have to trust God with the ultimate answers- 

And like Job, we may never be given all the answers to our questions.  But God will give us what we truly need in times of suffering; the gift of Himself~ IMMANUEL, God with us.  As our suffering increases, so does His grace. And be assured, God can use the ugly and tragic in your life in beautiful and redemptive ways.  Are you willing to believe?