Why the Big Universe, with nothing but us on tiny Earth?

According to the Bible, the transcendent Creator of this universe made humans in His own image as the focal point of His creation. Skeptics of a biblical worldview point to the vastness of the universe as evidence that humans cannot be the focal point of a theistic creation.

The famous astronomer and author, (and atheist) Carl Sagan put it this way: “Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves.”  

Famous physicist (and atheist) Stephen Hawking wrote, “Our Solar System is certainly a prerequisite for our existence . . . . but there does not seem to be a need for all these other galaxies.”

In other words, why would God create this huge universe, if He was primarily interested in His relationship with one species occupying a tiny planet?  Why did God create such a vast universe, placing us on a single small planet with no reasonable hope of ever traveling beyond our solar system?  Does the size of our universe run counter to a biblical worldview?

God, after all, as the Creator of the universe has unlimited resources.  We can hardly speculate on the thoughts in God’s mind when he created all things, but maybe he did it for us, for humanity. Why not create a vast universe for us to discover and explore, and through that experience, come closer to knowing and comprehending the nature and character of our Creator?

If God so precisely, carefully, lovingly and amazingly constructed a mind-boggling habitat for his creatures, then it would be natural for him to want them to explore it, to measure it, to investigate it, to appreciate it, to be inspired by it – and ultimately, and most importantly, to find him through it.  To give him credit for all of it.  “Yep... look at what my God did... He’s a really really big God don’t you think?”

In the words of Psalm 102:25: “In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands.” As Romans 1:20 says, “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.”

Jay Richards, coauthor of The Privileged Planet, speculates... “Because the universe was designed for discovery, we need something to discover. The universe is vast and we’re small, but we have access to it. That’s what is so amazing. We can see background radiation that has come from more than ten billion light years away.”

A Biblical Perspective of Humankind and the Vast Heavens

If God is the Creator of the universe, and the Bible is revelation directly from God, then accurate observation of the universe will ultimately prove to be consistent with His revelation. By combining the general revelation of science with the special revelation of the Bible, we should be rewarded with a greater understanding of the nature of our Creator and His intentions for mankind. That’s a big assumption... can it be true? 

First let’s consider what God’s special revelation for us, the Bible, has to say about the vastness of the universe. The Bible often refers to God’s creative work in “stretching out the heavens” and filling it with stars (e.g. Job 9:8, Zech 12:1). A review of Bible passages on the stars and the heavens reveals a number of reasons why a vast universe is consistent with humans being the most significant part of God’s creation. 

We need to realize that creating a vast universe is not harder for God than creating a smaller universe. God brought the universe into existence out of nothing... ex nihilo. He had no limits on the amount of matter and energy available to him for his creative adventure. Consequently, it is meaningless to say that it would be a tremendous waste for God to create so many lifeless galaxies. The concept of waste only applies when there is a limited supply. When there is an unlimited supply, you can use all you desire; there is plenty more where that came from.

Within this vast universe, God placed earth in potentially the only place in the universe capable of supporting advanced life.  Of course he created the life-sustaining environment we enjoy.  There are many aspects of the universe that are hidden from the casual observer, but the vastness of the heavens is not one of them. God created the earth and positioned it in an ideal place so that humans could observe the vastness of the heavens and the enormous number of stars. The Bible points out at least five purposes for humans observing this vast universe:

To reveal His majesty and power. Job refers to this understanding as he reflected on his sufferings by stating what he has observed and thereby believes about God... Who commands the sun not to shine, And sets a seal upon the stars;  Who alone stretches out the heavens, And tramples down the waves of the sea; Who makes the Bear, Orion and the Pleiades, And the chambers of the south;  Who does great things, unfathomable,  And wondrous works without number.  Were He to pass by me, I would not see Him; Were He to move past me, I would not perceive Him. Were He to snatch away, who could restrain Him? Who could say to Him, “What are You doing?” (Job 9:7-12).

Later, God confronts Job with His lack of understanding the full power and majesty of His Creator:  Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?  Tell Me, if you have understanding, . .  Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades, Or loose the cords of Orion?

Can you lead forth a constellation in its season, And guide the Bear with her satellites? Do you know the ordinances of the heavens, Or fix their rule over the earth? (Job 38:4, 31-33).  As this passage suggests... God intentionally did creative, wondrous works without number, so that we could see and appreciate His greatness.

To emphasize our insignificance without God. The vastness of the heavens highlights how insignificant humans are apart from God’s concern for us. The primary lesson that Job learned through his experience was that we are in no position to critique God’s actions over His creation. God’s creation is so vast that any significance we have comes solely from God’s choice to be concerned with us. Job stated it this way: “Behold, I am insignificant; what can I reply to You?” (Job 40:4)

King David was the most significant person in Israel during his reign, but when he considered the vastness of God’s creation he acknowledged our insignificance:  When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained; What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him (Ps 8:3-4)?

As a measure of His loving kindness toward us. God uses the vastness of the heavens to help us understand the magnitude of His love for us, stating, “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, So great is His loving kindness toward those who fear Him” (Ps 103:11). God’s love for us is greater than the billions of light years which separate us from the most distant galaxies.

As a picture of His faithfulness and forgiveness. In a similar way, God uses our inability to completely grasp the breadth and depth of the universe to emphasize spiritual truths. Through Jeremiah, God promised a new covenant where He will remember our sins no more. God used the vastness of the heavens to convey His promise to never cast those in the new covenant away from Him with these words, Thus says the LORD, “If the heavens above can be measured And the foundations of the earth searched out below, Then I will also cast off all the offspring of Israel For all that they have done,” declares the LORD (Jer 31:37).

Even today astronomers recognize that the universe we can observe is much smaller than the state of the universe as it exists today. Due to the finite speed of light, it is impossible to directly observe the current size of the universe or count the exact number of stars. Just as the heavens can never be measured, God will never cast us off, hence the reason humanity is the focus of his attention.

As a reminder that our understanding is limited. Our Creator understands the universe from one end to the other and from the beginning of time to its end. As humans, we are just beginning to probe its mysteries. So, God reminds us, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts” (Isa 55:9).

It is clear that God intended us to observe and study the stars and the heavens. As a part of God’s general revelation, the magnitude of the universe speaks to His greatness. Through God’s special revelation, we see God using the vastness of His creation to teach us lessons about who we are and how we relate to Him. For a Creator who was willing to sacrifice His only Son on the cross for our redemption, it would be child’s play to create a vast universe solely for our instruction. With this understanding, the vastness of the universe becomes a testament to our importance to God rather than evidence of our insignificance.

Be ‘awe’ inspired at the vastness of the universe

Psalm 19:1 tells us a major reason why the universe is so vast... The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork.  There are many similar passages in Scripture. They help us understand who God is and how powerful He is.

It reminds us that the more we discover about this incredible universe, the more we should be in awe of the One who made it all.  Rather than looking up and wondering who or what else is out there... wondering if those fictionalized aliens we’ve never seen might be real... we should instead be in awe and wonderment at the very One who made it all.

ET, are you out there?

What a fascinating topic of discussion and debate... highly advanced, intelligent “alien beings” from other planets of the vast universe.  Have they, or more precisely, do they visit earth?  Are they and their crafts the UFOs often reported by not so crazy people?   Speculation on this topic can be endless and takes on dimensions we can hardly imagine or comprehend.  Where did they come from and of greater importance... who made them, if they exist?

The Scriptures do not directly address the question of alien beings.   The Bible does not explicitly confirm or deny the existence of intelligent life in other parts of the vast universe. However, while the subject is not addressed explicitly, does the Bible implicitly weave together evidence that would suggest that the only beings God created with intelligence, are the angels in the heavenly realm, humankind and the animals on planet Earth?  

There is a tendency among all people, both Christian and non-Christian, to search out what is unknowable and ignore or neglect what is knowable.  The “unknown” is fascinating, mysterious and alluring.   So the question becomes, are we capable of understanding something God has not explicitly revealed?  Can humans, through a careful examination of His entire revelation to man, the Bible, comprehend the nature and essence of something God’s has not spoken?  

Man has certainly constructed a vast library of theological presuppositions based on what we believe to be God’s implied intent to transmit what is deducible from what He has revealed to us. In other words, if the Bible doesn’t explicitly tell us about something, it doesn’t mean it is impossible to know.  Scripture encourages us with these words from Paul’s first letter to the christians in Corinth... But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”—these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. 1 Corinthians 2:9,10 ESV

It would seem reasonable that God expects us to dig into the deeper things, especially those things knowable.  This of course will require a bit of effort and study with reasoned logical deduction to arrive at sound conclusions.  There are many things we have learned about God and His creation in this way.  For example....  

We can deduce that the Earth is young not millions of years old.  It is important to recognize that the stars and planets were not created millions of years before Earth.  According to the Bible, Earth is not the result of millions of years of stellar evolution during which many other planets were also created. Earth was created before any other planet or star existed. Earth came into existence on the first day of Creation (Genesis 1:1). God withheld the creation of the Sun, Moon and stars until the fourth day (Genesis 1:14-19). So it seems, Earth is unique and holds center stage in all of God's Creation. 

The Bible does not suggest or infer that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the vast universe. Although the all-powerful God could have created such life had He desired, it seems obvious from Scripture that He did not. The timetable for this present universe is measured by God's dealings with us. It appears from scriptural evidence,  that God created the intelligent human race, on planet Earth, as the sole beneficiary of His creative acts. This fellowship is of such a unique design that we are told that God's only true extra-terrestrial creations, angels, are eager to observe “things of earth” in action. Given all that has happened since God created the first man and woman and placed them in the special Garden home called Eden, we humans do seem from the Biblical revelation to be the “center of God’s attention” in a vast and wonder-filled universe.

So people wonder in puzzlement about extra-terrestrial intelligent life, aliens visiting earth, UFOs and the like.  Just because the Bible only teaches that God created intelligent life on Earth, why couldn’t He have done so elsewhere?   After all, Scripture does not discuss everything; such as automobiles, airplanes, space travel, computers, and most of the modern conveniences invented and used by man.   

However, the biblical objection to life forms in other parts of the universe is not merely an argument crafted from silence on the subject. Automobiles for example, are not a salvation issue, but we believe that sentient, intelligent, moral-decision-capable beings are, because it would undermine the authority of Scripture if it were not so.  In short, understanding the big picture of the Bible and the Gospel message allows us to conclude with a high degree of clarity, that the reason the Bible doesn’t mention extraterrestrial life is that there isn’t any.   Surely, if the earth were to be favored with a visitation by real extraterrestrials from a galaxy far away, then one would reasonably expect that the Bible, and God in His sovereignty and foreknowledge, to mention such a momentous occasion, because it would clearly redefine man's place in the universe.

The Bible says that the whole creation groans and travails under the weight of sin (Romans 8:18–22). The effect of the Curse following Adam’s Fall was universal.  Otherwise what would be the point of God dealing with the whole creation by bringing forth a new heavens and Earth (2 Peter 3:13, Revelation 21:1)? Therefore, any ETs living elsewhere would have been (unjustly) affected by the Adamic Curse through no fault of their own as they would not have inherited Adam’s sinful nature.  Or, even more improbable... all other planets inhabited with intelligent free-will life forms would be in the same predicament as humanity on this Earth.  Is that not illogical for a God of order and purpose, especially one who can’t make mistakes?  

When Christ (God) appeared in the flesh, He came to Earth not only to redeem mankind but eventually the whole creation back to Himself (Romans 8:21, Colossians 1:20). However, Christ’s atoning death on the Cross cannot save these hypothetical ETs, because one needs to be a physical descendant of Adam for Christ to be our ‘kinsman-redeemer’ (Isaiah 59:20). Jesus was called ‘the last Adam’ because there was a real first man, Adam (1 Corinthians 15:22,45) not a first Vulcan, Klingon, etc..  In God’s perfect plan for redeeming His creation... a sinless human substitute (propitiatory sacrifice) takes on the punishment all humans deserve for sin (Isaiah 53:6,10; Matthew 20:28; 1 John 2:2, 4:10).  This substitutionary sacrifice “humankind's stand-in” does not need to atone for any sin (non-existent) of his own (Hebrews 7:27).

If you believe in God, His plan of redemption, and you also believe in the possible existence of life in others parts of the universe, then you will need to find a way to explain that Christ’s sacrifice would need to be repeated elsewhere for other beings who have also sinned. There’s a major problem with that notion... Christ died once for all (Romans 6:10, 1 Peter 3:18) on the Earth for humans who have sinned.  While the Bible does not speak of ETs, the illogical nature of the argument borders on the absurd.  Christ is not going to be crucified and resurrected again and again on other planets (Hebrews 9:26). This is confirmed by the fact that the redeemed (earthly) church is known as Christ’s bride (Ephesians 5:22–33; Revelation 19:7–9) betrothed in a divine marriage that will last for eternity.  Again, for a perfect God, with no capacity for mistakes, errors, or deception, Christ is not going to have many brides from other planets.  The Bible makes no provision for God to redeem any other species, any more than to redeem fallen angels (Hebrews 2:16).  

A big nagging question does emerge ... would our faith be shaken if one day we discover life somewhere else in the universe?  Based on what God has revealed to us and what we can learn by digging deeper,  would not the act of withholding something like “other life in other places” in the universe be a lie of omission?  God cannot lie or deceive.  

The Bible is silent on this issue, because the Bible as revelation is an epic love story between the Creator God and His creation – humankind.  Since the beginning of time as we understand it, the whole focus of God has been on redemption, restoring man’s relationship back to Himself through the sacrifice of His own son, Jesus, who died so that we would have hope and the prospect of life eternal.   Could God have created other creatures on some distant planet in some far-away galaxy?  Since the Bible doesn’t give us an answer, I have to say perhaps, maybe.  However, I am not sure what the point of that would be in God’s redemptive plan for humans on Earth, or how we and God would reconcile such knowledge... it would seem to be a lie, a cosmic deception.

I for one, and since I can’t conclusively prove otherwise, doubt there is life anywhere else in the universe but here on Earth.  Here’s my reasoning. First, this realm was created especially for us. By “realm” I mean this space-time universe we live in. Second, if there are other intelligent beings, they too, like Adam, would have fallen and sinned, and thereby became separated from God.   Why does that have to be so?  Because there is only “one” God, one vast sum of Angels and one Devil, Satan, and the fallen angels who follow him.  

Would Jesus have to die again for those ETs somewhere else in the universe? How many times would Christ need to give his life to redeem other civilizations?  Each time he would have to become that species since that is the very reason he became man and not something else. Biblically Jesus Christ is the only Savior, and His death was done once as the only perfect sacrifice for sins ever offered in the universe (Heb. 9:23-28; 10:12-14). The scriptures over and over repeat the reconciling of humanity all through Christ that occurs on planet earth. Christ died only once and would never be repeated for another species. (Eph.1:7,10 Phil.2:10 Col.1:2 Rev.5:9,13) 

The scripture speaks of the gospel preached to all of the world, not to all the universe! I believe he died once for all mankind, so this notion of other life forms in other parts of the universe is not logical.  While intelligent beings on another planet in some far-away galaxy makes for interesting science fiction, in reality, I do not believe such beings exist. 

Mankind’s adversary, Satan is another reasoned proof that the existence of ETs is not logical.  When Satan was cast out of heaven, he comes to earth; it is on this planet that the battle has been waged for 6 thousand years and it is here on this earth where God will bring an end to Satan's influence on mankind.  The Devil, all his minions and the power of death over man were effectively defeated by the Cross and the Resurrection of Jesus here on planet earth.  Satan will face his eternal doom for his hatred and wickedness done to the goodness of God here on this earth.

God is in control, always has been, even over the dominion of Satan.  God determined the plan to redeem man;  God set the boundaries of Satan’s control and influence over man; God determined the limits of his realm... and it was planet earth.   God’s great adversary, one of His own creation, possessing free will, decided on rebellion over obedience and began the cosmic struggle that is being played to its Biblically foretold conclusion... here on earth. 

If other types of morally responsible life existed elsewhere in the universe they would have been created in the “image of God” just like humans here on planet earth. They too would have been created with the right of choice just as Adam was, just like all creation of God would be created.   A righteous, just and holy God could not create intelligent life, designed to worship Him, their creator, without giving them the right to choose to love him.  And if they made the wrong choice they would require salvation just as Adam’s descendants did. They would need redemption by believing in Christ for salvation. Sin would have affected their worlds as well as the universe just like Adams did.

The Bible seems to clearly indicate that this earth is the only place of its kind in the universe. This is why it is written in Genesis that “In the beginning God made the heavens and the earth.” We do not have to be left to our own postulations that come from our fallen human condition. 

God has clearly spoken through His word.  He left many things that nag at our determination to understand Him, unsaid, unrevealed.   Unless we believe from Genesis to Revelation, unless we believe that we humans are the singular focus of all God’s restorative and redemptive work in the universe, we will be trapped by the ultimate deception of the ages... ET where are you?

Overcoming Anger towards God

So you’ve been harboring a beef with God.  You’ve been angry at Him for something that has happened in your life. You’re frustrated that He didn’t prevent bad things from happening to you, family or friends. You are not alone. In fact, many people get angry with God from time to time.

It's normal to sometimes feel anger towards God. Just don't stay trapped in your anger.  Although we may think it’s a normal thing to feel, it’s a real shame when we get angry with God, for he is our best friend.  Yet since we are imperfect people, it happens.

People who get mad at God, often feel guilty about their anger and may even think their anger makes God angry with them. Their guilt sometimes drives them to feeling condemned.  Feelings of anger towards God will make you feel distant from God.

How do get past feelings of frustration and anger towards God?  Last week I mentioned three things you need to face and assimilate into your mind and heart:  First, God is always and only good, no matter how strange and painful his ways with us may seem.  Second, God does NOT do things or setup scenarios in our lives to make us angry with Him. His providence can be difficult to comprehend, but we should trust that He is always working for our best interests. Third, to know God, is to love and trust him.  Maybe you don’t know him like you think you do.  Go beyond your self-generated views of who you think God is, and find out who He really is. 

One thing we should always appreciate about God is that we can be real with him. If you are angry with God, be honest about it instead of trying to hide it or act "religious." To get a sense of how you can be open, honest and frank with God, read the Psalms, about times when King David openly expressed anger and frustration with God.

David, lived a tumultuous life in serving God.  As King of Judah and Israel he experienced many things that raised his levels of frustration and anger with God.  Every time David expressed complaints toward God, – he laid his heart before Him, expressed his feelings, fears and inadequacies and ended up praising God. That’s a good resolution to our anger... praise and thankfulness. 

Read Psalm 22: 1-6... David voices his complaints... yet in verses 22-31, he praises God.  It was that kind of intimate and trusting relationship with God that bound them together in such a way that God called David “a man after his own heart.”  (Acts 13:22; Psalm 116:1-2; Psalm 119)  God never spoke of any other man in that endearing way, as he did David.  

I'm not saying it's a good thing to get angry with God. However when we do, we are showing how little we understand his love, his goodness, and his purpose.  We need to face our frustration and anger towards God and deal with it, as David did.   The better you know God, and the longer you walk with him, the less likely you are to be angry with him. But, if you do get angry, be confident that he understands and helps you come to a place of repentance if you but open your heart and communicate your feeling to him.

In reality, being angry with God is sinful.  He knows our struggles in life will from time to time frustrate us to a point we feel alone, abandoned, confused and ultimately become angry with Him.  While we may think it normal, it is never right to be angry with God.  But if you do sin in this way, don't compound it by hypocrisy. Tell him the truth and repent.  

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, and am not silent. Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the praise of Israel. In you our fathers put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them. They cried to you and were saved; in you they trusted and were not disappointed. But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by men and despised by the people (Psalm 22:1-6).

I will declare your name to my brothers; in the congregation I will praise you. You who fear the LORD, praise him! All you descendants of Jacob, honor him! Revere him, all you descendants of Israel! For he has not despised or disdained the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help. From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly; before those who fear you will I fulfill my vows. The poor will eat and be satisfied; they who seek the LORD will praise him—may your hearts live forever! All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him, for dominion belongs to the LORD and he rules over the nations. All the rich of the earth will feast and worship; all who go down to the dust will kneel before him—those who cannot keep themselves alive. Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord. They will proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn—for he has done it. (Psalm 22:22-31).

I will praise the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. (Psalm 146:2; Psalm 63:4; Psalm 104:33)  

No matter what happens in your life, never forget who you are, and who HE is.

Always and forever... be at peace with the God who loved you all the way to the Cross!

Do you have a Beef with God?

Recently, someone very close to me experienced the loss of a close friend in death.  Actually the loss deeply touched everyone in my family.  It was tragic, a result of bad choices in the young persons life.  Now, my family member is angry, frustrated, and claims to have a “beef with God.”  

It's easy to blame God when things go wrong, much easier than taking responsibility for our own mistakes.  When bad things happen to others, we often look at the situation, wanting God to step in, rework the circumstances and choices and prevent a tragic outcome.  Life is far from perfect, and sometimes we have to deal with tragedies and disappointments that we don't understand.  Sometimes that leads us to blame God for the things that go wrong in our lives.

I believe there is nothing more dangerous to a Christian than to carry around a resentment against God.  I am shocked by the growing number of believers of all ages who are peeved at the Lord. They may not admit as much, but deep inside, they hold some kind of grudge against him. Why? They believe he's not interested in their lives or problems! They're convinced he doesn't care, because he hasn't answered a particular prayer or acted on their behalf in a certain way.   Some who know God and profess to be Christians, just can’t get past the idea that when they became a believer, God was going to shield them from pain and suffering.

If you are one who may be angry at God, harboring resentment towards Him, you need to step back from your feelings, from the situation and look at the big picture.  Where do you start?

I know this won’t be easy... but you have to take personal responsibility for what you create every day in your life.  God is not doing anything to you to cause you sadness, pain and suffering.  He does not manipulate life’s situations to harass and plunge you into fear and anxiety.  He does not place temptations and sinful pursuits in your path to cause you to stumble into sin.  

It is we who have chosen to become addicted to drugs, alcohol, toxic relationships, financial debt, or live a listless life that leads to homelessness. We create by our decisions and choices the content of our lives. Often we have co-created our circumstances with another person close to us.  Bad choices just can’t produce good results, but we don’t want to admit we made a mistake. We want to play the victim. We want to blame someone else. At some point in our lives we have to admit that we played the staring role in creating a messed up life. 

God provides for us every day of the year. He makes all aspects of our life possible.  He provides the job, the shelter, the finances, our life partner, the family, and the friends that we have. Here’s what we don’t like and often refuse to accept responsibility for... We get to choose what we do with what He has given to us.  We can make good choices or bad ones.  God will not interfere with our choices or how we create our life path.

The mirror view of ourselves can be an ugly experience.  The person who looks back is not always so attractive.  We choose to hold on to grudges without forgiving one another... grudges grow into bitterness over time.  Our pride inhibits our willingness to accept what we believe are deficiencies within ourselves. We try to control, manipulate and lie, to steer situations to our favor, in the direction we want our lives to go. We tend to be selfish, more than unselfish, giving and caring of others. We want to have it all, but never do the work on ourselves to have a healthy relationship with God and others. We don't want to look at ourselves, or how we affect a situation or the circumstances around us.  “It’s not me, it’s not my fault.” We don't want to look at the attitude we have in the moment, or change our perception, or even admit we can be totally wrong about another person, or God. We create ideas in our head about who God is, what He does, and why He ignores the tragic events of humanity... because doing so gives us a sense of control and peace of mind that nothing in this world could possibly be a result of our flawed choices.  We would rather lie to ourselves than admit we have anything to do with how the life we are living is created by our own decisions. Every negative thought we encounter we hold on to and insist on it as truth.

So you have a beef with God, what can you do to overcome those feelings?  Three suggestions:  First, you need to admit to yourself what you already know deep inside... God is always and only good, no matter how strange and painful his ways with us may seem.  Anger towards God is never a good thing.  Anger toward God signifies that you think he is bad, weak, manipulative, cruel, angry and outright foolish. None of these are true, and all such thoughts in your mind dishonor him. Therefore it is never right to be angry at God. When Jonah and Job were angry with God, Jonah was rebuked by God (Jonah 4:9) and Job repented in dust and ashes (Job 42:6).

Secondly, people stumble over the idea that God really does things that ought to make us angry with Him. Hear me well... as painful as His providence can be, we should trust that he is good, and not get angry with him. Don’t construct your view of God by the standards of evaluation used by imperfect humans.  For example, you might rightfully be angry at a surgeon who performs open heart surgery, saves your life, but made a few mistakes in the procedure. It’s reasonable to expect that even a well trained surgeon could error and make a mistake, because he’s human. God is perfect, infallible, cannot lie or deceive.  God in his essence is pure love. God never makes a mistake.  Why do you have such a hard time trusting Him?

Third and final suggestion... to know him, is to love and trust him.  Maybe you don’t know him like you think you do.  Maybe it’s time to go beyond your self-generated views of who you think God is and find out who He really is.  He reveals himself in honest and frank detail through His revelation to humankind... the Bible.  Open you heart, clear your mind of your prejudicial views and look a little deeper.  Discover His holiness and righteousness, His character and nature and His abounding love.  It will take commitment, study, prayer and contemplation to know Him deeply... it’s well worth the effort.

Whatever beef you have with God, frustrated because bad things happen to good people, you need to recognize that you are the architect of your life.  We all make the choices and decisions that define our path.  Good choices are better than bad ones, but even good choices are no guarantee of a life without pain and suffering in a fallen sin-filled world.

God is as saddened by the plight of humanity as we are when we personally experience tragedy and loss.  That’s why he sent his only son to restore us, to save us from pain and suffering.  (John 3:16)  I know, you long for the day when he will fix all that he has promised to fix.    Trust God, when he’s ready he will return and make all things new and grand.  Live your life in harmony with God’s great love, don’t be angry with Him, and you can look forward to that day when there will be no more tears, no more pain, no more sadness, no more death.  (Revelation 21:3,4)

May God comfort you and bless you this day and always as you seek Him.