Why God Why

Do things like this have to happen? And why did you allow this to happen?

In short, a little girl was left in her home by her step-father. Then, one of the step-father's friends came and abducted her, took her to his trailer and raped her. After raping her, the step-father arrived, and raped her as well. After both were done, they then took her outside and strangled her with a curtain cord. Then drove her to a remote sinkhole where they simply dumped her lifeless body in a cave.

There are so many questions that come to mind for anyone:

• How can two grown men sexually devastate a young girl?
  
• How can any adult human being strangle a young child and watch her struggle for life before your very eyes?
  
• How can anyone continue doing any of it when you hear a young girl beg for you to please stop?
  
• What purpose did this event serve?
  
• Where was God while all of this was taking place?
  
• Is that really the purpose of this 9 year old's life? To be raped and murdered while she was still a child?
  
• Why didn't God stop this?
  

Evil like this happens every day. I recently talked with a friend who had just experienced a suicide by a father who left his wife and three children by hanging himself on the front porch. You read news stories and talk with people and there is one inescapable conclusion. Evil is all around us and the heart is absolutely depraved. Anyone is capable of anything.

So what do we do? Do we live in fear? Is God really watching all of this? Has He fallen asleep on the throne? Or worse, does He condone this? Why doesn't He stop it? If He can part the Red Sea and create the universe in 6 days, do you really mean to tell me he can't stop an evil step-father from this horrendous act?

• I wonder if people ever ask those questions?
  
• I wonder if people ever wrestle with those questions?
  
• I wonder what the Bible has to say about those questions?
  
• I wonder what God has to say about those questions?
  
• I wonder where we can turn for answers?
  
• I wonder if God did answer that question if we would accept his answer and submit to it?
  

Life isn't all roses. Life isn't all fun. Life isn't all about how to do church better or how to preach better. Life is real. Life is hard.

Maybe some more to ponder tomorrow. I think this is enough for today.