IF GOD LOVES ME, WHY CAN'T HE HELP ME OPEN MY LOCKER?

That's the title of a now dated teen devotional book from 20 years or so ago. While the title may be catchy, it does play a sour note with me.

After 9/11 there was much talk about where God was and how He could allow that tragedy to happen. Why was God mad at us was also posed.

It's easy to accept the good things God blesses us with. We readily accept them. Unfortuately, we act as if somehow we were deserving, we were entitled to them and it was nice (and only right) that God recognized that fact.

But when things don't go our way, we have a tendency to question God and wonder if He's worthy of our trust. If we don't trust God, then we are in the clutches of circumstance. We either move into the despair of hopelessness (chance) or we trust God. And that's the difference between apples and oranges.

There was harmony for a brief period of time. Until Genesis 3 and the disobedience of Eve and Adam. This is the only explanation the Bible gives for telling us why there is suffering in the world. Instead of telling why there is suffering, scripture tells us how to overcome it. And it's never easy.

It wasn't easy for God either. Not when He saw His Son hanging on the cross. His answer was three days later. We never go through suffering alone. God is with us. Is He trustworthy? Count on it. He'll never leave us; He'll never forsake us. As Joshua is about to die (Joshua 23:14) he says "not one of all God's promises has failed".

It's up to you. "In the world you've got trouble. In me you have peace." (John 16:33) My prayer is that in the middle of pain and suffering I'll trust God. After all, He's the apple of my eye.