SWORD & SPIRIT WRITER

“You have made people to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under their feet,” (Psalm 8:6).

A hurting mother posted on social media regarding her chronically ill child, “God allowed this to happen to him.” Her words were angry and accusatory towards God. My heart truly went out to her, and I simply commented that I’d pray for her.

In the past, I would have agreed with this dear mama’s perspective regarding the character of God, but I was at a different place in my walk with Him then.

God had me unlearning the many unscriptural teachings I’d picked up from others over the years. He was teaching me to question everything I was taught by searching out the scriptures for myself to test whether they were true (Acts 17:11).

There was a study done regarding toddlers with celiac disease, a serious autoimmune disease where the ingestion of gluten leads to damage in the small intestine.

Upon diagnosis, a misled, Christian mama, like the one above, may think, “God allowed this horrible celiac disease to happen to my child,” in a way that blames Him.

Wrong, religious thoughts like, “God must be causing us to suffer to teach us a lesson,” may further fuel her accusations towards her heavenly Father.

Later, further testing reveals her child has high blood levels of pesticides, fire retardants, and the chemicals found in non-stick cookware. By not knowing the Word of God for herself, this dear mother was unknowingly implicating God for the effects of sin and free will in the earth.

The lead verse above, Psalm 8:6, points us to God’s truth: He put US in charge of ALL He created.

God didn’t cause or “allow” those toddlers to get celiac disease. Nor was it His will or a “lesson” from Him to teach the child and his parents something using a damaged intestine.

No, God sent His Son, Jesus, to be beaten beyond recognition, die for us, and bear the effects of sin and death on His body.

The answer is simple. God won’t violate His Word or our free will:

• “God put people in charge of all the works of His hands,” (Psalm 8:6).
• “They rejected the will of God for themselves,” (Luke 7:30).

His Word always reveals His truth. The only truth that matters for believers. Sin and the free will choices of man who are “managing” the earth caused those toddlers to be sick. Not God.

For example, many of our grains, fruits, and vegetables are genetically modified (GMOs) so they can withstand an insane amount of pesticides. This process violates God’s creation and order. He never instructed us to poison our own food. The sins of greed and perverting creation are at the root.

The next time we hear someone say, “Why did God allow this to happen?” we must ask ourselves is it being used in a way that implicates God in sin, the results of man’s free will, or that forgets that He made us “managers” of all the earth until Jesus fully reclaims it (Revelations 21).

In this devotional series, I will also share how inviting God into our situations through prayer and taking Him for His promises by faith is the power we have in Jesus’ name to overcome the effects of a fallen world and to destroy the works of the devil in our lives. Stay tuned.