Daily Power #212

“I have loved you with an everlasting love.” (Jer. 31:3)

It’s hard to make sense of all the tragic events unfolding in our nation and world today. When others seem motivated by hatred, greed, and prejudice to the point where they’re consumed by violence and evil, it’s difficult to know how to respond. In light of natural disasters and life-ending tragedies, people often ask me, “Why would God allow such suffering and devastation to take place? How could this be part of his plan? How can I trust him when he lets things like this happen?”

Because I’m a pastor, people expect me to have answers that make sense or feel right, but my responses might not be what they want to hear. The simple answer is that God gives us the power to choose how we live our lives. It has been this way since creation, when Adam and Eve exercised their gift of free will by disobeying God and choosing their own way. Ever since, we’ve been living in a world filled with the consequences of sinful choices and willful disobedience.

If left unchecked, our selfishness becomes a cancer. It’s only through the grace of God and the power of Christ that we can be transformed. Our lives on this side of heaven will always include pain and suffering. But God loves us so much that he sacrificed his Son in order to provide the cure for our sinful condition.

Power Lift

So often, Lord, I can’t understand the suffering taking place in the world today. Yet I know that you’re in control and that your love is truly everlasting. I will trust in you.