When something happens, it’s not always ‘God’s will’

“Everything happens for a reason” — have you ever said this? Or thought it? It’s normal to seek meaning in the things that happen to us. We seem to need to find it in the terrible tragedies that come relentlessly in the 24-hour news cycle. There’s something about human nature that craves knowing how all the pieces fit together like a jigsaw puzzle.

But it’s not as simple as that, is it? As people of faith, we talk of things being “God’s will,” but just because something happens doesn’t mean that God wills it. In fact, Jesus invited us to pray, “You will be done on earth as in heaven,” which suggests that much of what happens is not God’s will. Sometimes things happen because of human sin, human error, and human choices. And the truth is that sometimes things just happen — that’s the world in which we live.

It’s important to acknowledge our need to find meaning in the suffering we experience. And to recognize that God is not distant from our suffering, but through Jesus God is in the middle of it. God does not turn away from the darkness but enters it.

I can look back at the hardships in my own life and see the ways that I’ve changed and grown because of them. My own grief and loss has made me more compassionate (I hope); doors that closed in my face eventually led to new opportunities. But to see the ways that God can redeem and bring good out of hardship and suffering is very different than saying that God wills it in order to bring me to this point or to teach me something.

I love the story of Joseph, the favourite of Jacob’s 12 sons. Joseph is given a fancy coloured coat by his father, and has dreams of his brothers bowing down to him. The young Joseph comes across as more than a bit obnoxious and while he may be his father’s favourite, his brothers despise him. They conspire to sell him into slavery and he ends up in Egypt. Over years and years, there’s a long story of intrigue but eventually Joseph reunites with his brothers, and saves their lives during a famine. As he forgives them, he says: “What you intended for evil, God intended for good.”

Evil exists. Tragedy strikes. Sometimes because of human choices. Sometimes not. Faith holds to the possibility that God can bring good out of the darkness. It’s usually easier to see this looking backwards rather than forwards. And it’s pretty much always better to see it for ourselves, rather than pointing it out to others. The best thing we can do in the face of another’s suffering is just to be there. Sometimes the less we say, the better.

Rev. Jeff Decelle is pastor at Unity Lutheran Church.