Why doesn’t God prevent innocent children from being harmed?

Question: A man was baby sitting the seventeen month old son of his girlfriend when he struck and killed the infant for acting like a girl. The man is charged with first-degree manslaughter after he allegedly hit the boy “several times throughout his body with closed fists.” Apparently, he then grabbed the infant by the…

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What was Paul’s thorn in the flesh?

Question: How are you? Can you help answer this question and elaborate on it? What was Paul’s thorn in the flesh, when Paul says he prayed three times that it may be removed? Answer: “And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given…

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Does God put negative circumstances in our path?

Question: God bless. Really enjoyed the online article about Overcoming Bitterness by Lawrence Kelley.  The analogy of the “sweet wood” of the cross making our bitter souls sweet was excellent.  I am going to share that at our next Bible Study. He did, however, contradict the scriptures when he wrote: “He (God) puts us in circumstances…

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Where Do You Turn?

by Shane Williams via The Lilbourn Light, Vol. 10, No. 4, August 2009. Where you turn when you’re in trouble reveals your character. What does it tell us about young kids whose trouble turns them toward gangs, guns, or drugs? What do we learn about adults whose problems direct them toward alcohol, adultery, or the…

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What a Friend We Have in Jesus

by Ralph Walker, Jr. Joseph Scriven was born Sept. 10, 1819, at Seapatrick, near Dublin Ireland, into the wealthy family of Capt. John Scriven. Joseph’s hopes to follow his father in the military were dashed due to poor health. In 1835 he entered Trinity College and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 1842. During that…

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A Voice Heard in Ramah

by Doy Moyer There are no words to describe the horrors of the slaughter of school children and teachers. None. We struggle to find some sense in it, some meaning, some greater purpose, but we come up empty-handed. No philosophizing will help. We cannot even imagine that someone would walk into a school — a…

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Sand and Pearls

by Netagene Kirkpatrick, August 18, 2009 If God can take a grain of sand And change it to a pearl – Some tiny lifeless silicone He made when He made the world, Then why don’t you understand the thought That you, a living soul Might change from whatever sad state you’re in, If you’ll let Him…

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How can I know the God of the Bible isn’t a myth?

Question: How do I know that believing in God is the right thing to do? How do I know that the Bible isn’t something that is made for mankind to get by through life without worrying as much as non-believers do? I don’t know what to think about God and life and death. Just the…

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Exceedingly Abundantly

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/ExceedingAbundantly2.mp3 by Simon Harris God, please use Kelsey to bring glory to your Name. We know the odds are against us, but we trust in You. Please use our daughter as a living example of Your power to heal, that all may glorify You as the Great God of Heaven. That was my prayer when…

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Changing the Question

The Shock Value of Pain and Suffering https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/2009Fall4ChangingTheQuestion.mp3 by Oscar Miles The Pursuit of Happiness

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Why do bad things sometimes happen to good people?

Question: Hello, I stumbled upon your site on accident (or by fate) who knows, but it has been a useful tool for me. I’d just like to thank you! Also, my question is that why do bad things sometimes happen to good, wholesome people? People who go out of their ways to open doors for…

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If God cares for us, why is there suffering?

Question: I was reading a book and stumbled upon the following quote: “I am your Creator. You were in my care even before you were born.” (Isaiah 44:2a, Contemporary English Version) I thought about this. It brings a couple of questions. If the above quote is true, then all the babies and everyone born into this…

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Why does God punish?

Question: So when God punishes someone, with what intention does He do so? With the intention of getting payback? Or is it to correct us from something? For example, punishing us so we can repent and learn a lesson? Or does He do it to see us suffer for doing something bad? Answer: “‘Do I…

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Why did God prove He existed before but not now?

Question: My son has come to me asking questions about the church. He is a member of the church but has fallen away. His asking questions is a crack in the door I don’t want to miss out on. He’s asking why did God allow proof that He existed then, but doesn’t now. He said…

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With God

by Kelsey Harris I like to be by myself, but I can’t stand being alone. I love the dark, but I hate not being able to see. I enjoy meeting new people, but I hate being with strangers. I want my voice to be heard, but I despise talking loud. I want to be in…

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Why Do Good People Suffer?

Text: Hebrews 12:4-14 Write on board: SIN DISCIPLINE GOLD I.         We see and experience problems as we go through life.             A.        Sometimes we wonder why these things happen.             B.        If a person is trying to be good, why doesn’t God protect him from evil? II.        First, what do we mean by “good”             A.        Technically, only God is good – Luke…

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Be Still, My Soul

by Katharina von Schlegel, 1752 Be still, my soul: the Lord is on thy side. Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain. Leave to thy God to order and provide; In every change, He faithful will remain. Be still, my soul: thy best, thy heavenly Friend Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.…

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His Eye Is On The Sparrow

by David Padfield via http://www.padfield.com/2001/sparrow.html Photo by Will Bolding on Unsplash In Matthew 10 Jesus sent out the twelve apostles and “gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease” (Matthew 10:1). This commission was limited in that they were not allowed to…

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What Scripture is most useful to challenge an atheist?

Question: When speaking to an atheist, what Scripture is most useful to challenge one to understand that God does exist? And how can I convince him that this God is merciful if he has lived life in a body wracked by pain? Answer: You are starting off on the wrong foot since an atheist does…

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What do I say to people who are suffering great grief?

Question: What do I say to people who are suffering great grief? Answer: Much of what you or I would like to say seems so empty or inadequate. How do you tell someone who has just lost a child you know how she feels when you haven’t experienced such grief? How do you tell a…

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Why would God turn His back on the world?

Question: Hello, I’ll begin by describing my situation.  A few weeks ago I stopped attending church.  I felt that something was wrong, but I wasn’t exactly sure what.  It was as if I felt that I didn’t belong.  It’s possible that somewhere inside I knew what it was then, but didn’t want to admit it…

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What does “put my tears in your bottle” mean in Psalms 56:8?

Question: Can you help me with the meaning of Psalms 56:8, especially the part “tears into thy bottle?” Answer: “You number my wanderings; put my tears into Your bottle; are they not in Your book?” (Psalm 56:8). Each phrase is a reference to God remembering or recording what has happened to David. This particular Psalm,…

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If God knew men would sin, why did He create the world?

Question: I am wondering why God made everything: creation, mankind, and allowed everything to happen as it did in the Bible, especially since He knew what would eventually happen — sin, unfaithfulness, redemption, etc. I guess this also relates to why God even created us? Answer: When I was walking to the building today I…

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How do I get back to God?

Question: I was a spiritual person until certain events took place in my life. Having God in my heart is what got me through my very unstable childhood, and most of my military career. While deployed I did and saw things no one should ever have to do or see. I saw true evil in…

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Who is God to decide my life?

Question: So who is God to decide and what mechanism do I have to protest that He is wrong? Being male is not enough to suggest He is all-knowing. Why put me on this earth with an overwhelming sense that I don’t belong here. Why keep dragging me back to now when He knows I…

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Why did God allow slavery or commit genocide?

Question: Why did God allow the Israelites to commit actions which are clearly wrong, by His command, such as allowing daughters to be sold into slavery (Exodus 21:7) or committing genocide upon the peoples of Canaan (Joshua)? If the Bible is infallible, is this the kind of moral code that God wants us to apply…

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Where Would You Be If _____ Never Happened to You?

by Steve Klein The Bulletin of the Church of Christ at New Georgia, April 1, 2007 Somerset Maugham, the English writer, once wrote a story about a janitor at St. Peter’s Church in London. One day a young vicar discovered that the janitor was illiterate and fired him. Jobless, the man invested his meager savings…

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Was Katrina a Judgment from God?

 by George Hutto The question of God’s involvement with the recent hurricane which devastated New Orleans may not be popular, but it is fair to ask. After all, the activities on Bourbon Street are not akin to Sunday School classes, and Mardi Gras is notorious for the kind of behavior that would evoke the wrath…

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When Life Hurts

by David Thurman via Gospel Minutes (Vol. 56, No. 3; Jan. 19, 2007). All of us experience hardships from time to time. All of us face struggles that make little or no sense to us. Sometimes the hurt comes from what others do to us. Sometimes we cause our own pain. Sometimes it takes place…

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Why won’t God heal amputees?

Question: Why won’t God heal amputees? After all, Jesus said, “If you ask anything in my name, I will do it” (John 14:14). Why doesn’t Jesus appear to us? Answer: The questions remind me of an event in the Gospels that we just studied last night. “Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him…

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Why did God put the forbidden tree in the garden?

Question: I have a couple of doubts and am hoping to get an answer from you. Adam and Eve ate the fruit of the forbidden tree, which was a sin. Why did God has created that tree? If there is no tree, then there would have been no sin. Why do the innocent suffer? Answer:…

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Why does a good person come down with cancer?

Question: I got a call from a friend telling me that another really good friend’s wife has just been diagnosed with cancer all through her body. It is one of those cases where I have to wonder, “Why?” and “Where is the fairness in this life?” as this lady was tops in my book, just…

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Why was I born if God knew I would fail?

Question: In the last couple of months, a question has come up at least three times. I am guessing that many others may be asking it as well. Perhaps you can help answer it. The question is essentially this, “Why was I born, without choice in the matter, into a world where chances for spiritual…

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The Book of Job

Text: Job 1:6-12   I.         If someone asked you what the book of Job was about, how would you answer?             A.        Most of us would point out that it deals with the question of human suffering.                         1.         The book tells the story of a man who loses everything                         2.         He suffers greatly and wrestles with the apparent injustice of…

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Does God Make the Handicapped?

Text: Exodus 4:10-12   I.          We desire explanations for the world and its events              A.         It is not enough that things happen, most of us are curious as to why they happen                           1.          Even the three-year-old will drive his parents to distraction asking “Why?”              B.         Hence, when disciples come across a blind man, it brought a question to their…

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