The newest batch of eighteen souls slipped into eternity very unexpectedly last evening, practically in the proverbial blink of an eye since they merely went to have some fun at a bowling alley and billiards hall.

It’s understandable and even proper that people perpetually put this perfectly practical pregunta  to me:  “Why does God let bad things happen, why does He allow so many of us to suffer and even die?”

To which I always wonder, “Why would He allow us to live?!”  To summon Shakespeare, that  is the question we should be asking.

We weakly wander away from His Word, will, and wisdom so willy-nilly that I know exactly why He lets so many of us suffer and die (Romans 5:12, 6:23; 1 Corinthians 11:30) but why would He patiently put up with our pervasive pride and unpretty pettiness and lingering lust and mistrust and frequent failings, foibles and flaws, far too many for man’s mind to count much less comprehend?

I’ll tell you why:  because of His lasting love.  And perfect patience.  And complete compassion and miles-long mercy.

• “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
• “And yet for this reason I found mercy, in order that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience…” (1 Timothy 1:16a)
• “You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.” (James 5:11b)

So even as we rightly mourn the seemingly senseless loss of life last night, let us take those eighteen and every other passing-into-eternity as a warning and renewed reminder to rightly examine our own souls to see, to make certain that if we were to ever leave this life “in the blink of an eye” and unexpectedly move on to the one to come, we will find ourselves in heaven, not hell, thanks solely to the love and grace and patience and compassion and mercy of our magnificent Master.

Even amid mourning, it’s more than enough to make my heavy heart holler “Hallelujah!”

 

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