One of the most consistent things I have discovered in my life is that those who have no interest in God, seem to always want to know where He is when tragedy strikes. God is always seated on His throne, with Christ our Lord seated at His right hand side, with all the host of heaven and the 24 Elders surrounding Him on His majestic throne. Tragedy does not move or change where God is or who He is. God uses tragedy to change and move us in ways that make us wiser and stronger as we walk through this path of life. It was so disheartening to hear the scoffing about God after the events of the Minnesota Catholic School shooting by some in the media. When I heard the comments regarding prayer, my thoughts were that these people do not know anything about God and what it means to have a relationship with Him.

The one thing that anyone who desires to have a personal relationship with God must understand is that God is Sovereign. I have a regular practice of reading Psalms 119 each day. One day, however, something I read really gave me an understanding about God that really helped me to understand God’s Sovereignty. Psalms 119:89-91, “Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven. Your faithfulness continues throughout all generations; You established the earth, and it stands. They stand this day according to Your ordinances, for all things are Your servants.” “All things are God’s servants”, meaning that everything that exists on this earth is subject to be used by God for His own plan and purpose. EVERYTHING!!! Even the worst tragedy that we can experience in this life is a servant of God. We pray to God, because we believe that He has the power to change things, not to demand that He changes things. We understand that He can make whatever decision He needs to make and we will love Him regardless of the outcome. Anyone who think that they can make God respond the way they want Him to, will definitely have difficulty relating to Him. He does whatever He pleases to do.

One of the most glorious expressions of a believer is to leave this world in a state of bringing glory to God. What better way is to leave this world, praying and worshipping God? But those who do not know God or the meaning of the born-again experience can not understand such things. God does not hide anything about who He is from us. We can learn all about Him through His Word, but the problem is that both inside and outside of the church, people do not read their Bibles. God teaches us who He is, what He expects of us, what the consequences of rejecting Him and what He has planned for our future through His Word. We understand the relationship we have with Him, through Christ, His Son, and the Holy Spirit, who empowers us and connects us to God. In my book, God Is Always Good“, one of the chapters is titled, “Loving the Sovereign God”. I am 64 years old, and I have had many trials and tribulations in this life. But one thing I know is that God has used all of them to draw me closer to Him, and give me the wisdom I need not just for me, but to encourage others. Here is an excerpt from that chapter:

“Psalm 139:7-10 reads, “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the dawn, if I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, even there Your hand will lead me, and Your right hand will lay hold of me.”  These Scriptures teach us that there is no such thing as running from God. There is nowhere we can run to. Regardless of whether a person acknowledges God as sovereign over their lives, He is. He is Sovereign, no matter what one may think.   Rejecting the message of the Gospel does not dissolve God’s Sovereignty. Turning away from the faith does not dissolve God’s Sovereignty. Going on an abandoned island away from all civilization does not dissolve God’s Sovereignty. He is still there, watching everything and knowing every thought. It is foolish to think that being in a drunken stupor or being high on drugs will allow a person to escape the presence of God. We will be forever in God’s presence. Envisioning this set of Scriptures makes me chuckle as I imagine God watching those who may think they are getting away from Him. We never can. “

Another thing we learn from Psalm 139 is that we are each fashioned a certain number of days on this earth and then we will either enter into eternity with God or separated from God for eternity. I love my earthly family and my spiritual family, but I also know that each of us has a different time and way in which God will call us out of this life. Again, He has already prepared us to understand this in His Word. That is not going to change just because it’s our spouse, or child, or parent, or other loved one. What God has ordained was ordained before the foundations of the earth. When God calls that person from this earth, I will be sad, I will miss them, but I understand that it’s their time, and that is why we should love and enjoy those God has given us today, because we don’t know the day or time that God will call them to depart this life.

2 Corinthians 1:3-5 is a great Scripture that helped me to understand how suffering works in the life of faith. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ.” Those who are selfish and want a god that they can rule, are those who become angry when they experience tragedy. Bad things happen in this world because of sin, not because God wants to see us suffer. The children who lost their lives at Annunciation Catholic Church lost their lives because of the sinful nature of the killer. He is the one who planned this and pulled the trigger because of the evil that took over his heart and soul. He had the free will to make that decision. God is a just God, and if He took away one person’s free will, then He would have to take away all of our free will, and then we would all be robots, doing what we are forced to do. God desires us to willingly do what He commands us to do out of a heart of reverence and love for Him, not out of force. Be Blessed!