God is sovereign, but does that mean everything that happens in this world is His will? When an untimely death occurs, people say God must have had a reason. The assumption is that God’s will was done. Is this always the case? More phrases—God took the person home, or God wanted another angel—are commonly used to imply God was behind the death.
Evil, sickness and tragedy are not God’s will. Who could possibly believe that child kidnapping, sex trafficking, murders or disease are God’s will? There are actually numerous reasons why tragedy occurs in people’s lives, and the Bible tells us what many of those reasons are:
— Satan is the god of this world.
— There is a law of sowing and reaping.
— Men are evil and cause harm.
— There is a law of sin and death.
— There is a lack of knowledge.
— There is a lack of obedience to God’s word.
— Earth rebels against sin.
God is absolute ruler, but that doesn’t mean He controls all that happens. God is sovereign in His Word (read Ps. 89:34 and 119:89). In other words, He will not change anything He has already stated in His word. If He said what His will is regarding an issue, then He will not change it. For instance, since His Word says He healed all who came to Him and never once turned anyone away, then He will heal anyone who comes to Him today.
Many people also think we can’t know God’s will, and He does whatever He wants because He is sovereign. This is completely false. The Bible actually states that Christians are expected to know His will in most situations.
Consider this: If God is in control and everything that happens is His will, why do people work so hard to get well when they are sick? Why do they see a doctor? If one believes that God brought the sickness, why not just let whatever happens happen? Innately, we know that it is not God’s will to harm us. In 1 John 3:8, it says that Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil. Remember the woman who was bowed over? Jesus said, “Then should not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham whom Satan has bound these eighteen years, be loosed from this bondage on the Sabbath?” (Luke 13:16). The devil was responsible for her illness. The Bible says that disease is always evil. God will have mercy on whom He will, but that doesn’t mean that everything that occurs is His will or that He may choose not to heal you.
To believe God took someone’s child or gave a person an illness would cause bitterness against God or even cause someone to turn to disbelief. Why would anyone serve a God they could not trust, never knowing if He might bring harm? God is a God who loves you and wants you to have a good, healthy, long life. Get to know the God of the Bible, so you won’t be swayed by incorrect, harmful, religious beliefs.
For more on this topic, listen to 23 Minutes in Hell on the Charisma Podcast Network. {eoa}
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Curt Landry 
Michael L. Brown 
Rabbi Eric Tokajer 
