Last week marked the 19th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on our nation. Even though the memorial services were smaller in scale and more intimate compared to those of recent years because of the pandemic, they were still the same solemn ceremonies that mark one of the truly darkest days in our nation’s history. For me, 9/11 was the saddest 24 hours I have ever spent in my life, period. Perhaps it is the same for you, too. In the days following the attacks, the doors to our church opened, and stayed open 24/7. People came to pray, or simply to be there because they didn’t know what else to do. It didn’t matter who belonged to which group. In those days, both groups were asking the same question: “How can this happen?”
The question is a good one. It is one of the most difficult theological questions to answer. Theologians throughout time have stepped up to the challenge, and their best answers have come up short. The best answer I give to you is the same answer I give to my own children—“I don’t know”. But even though nothing I say can bring you closer to the answer, there are some things we can say from the Bible with confidence.
1. Bad things happen to us, and they are our own fault.
Proverbs 13:4 The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.
If one is lazy, he cannot expect to have very much, and he will not have enough to pay the rent. If one continues to eat processed and unhealthy foods, he will have to pay when he ages. I talked to a friend today and she told me she has never met a person who experimented with drugs, and his life got better. Sometimes bad things happen directly or indirectly because of poor life choices. They only have themselves to blame. This is rather common sense.
2. Bad things happen to us, and they are not our fault, sort of.
Romans 5:12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—
The day sin entered into the world through Adam, our world became unrecognizable. No one was spared the effects of sin. Not one. You and I are unable to worship God, and I mean really worship God, due to our sin. We are held in bondage to temptations constantly. We will never see true justice until our Lord returns.
3. Bad things happen to us, and we don’t understand it.
A bus carrying Christian youths rolled off a road in Pennsylvania, killing everyone on board. Legs of a good Samaritan amputated after he was hit by a vehicle while coming to help at the scene of an accident. The death of a very young child. Sometimes bad things happen to us, and no human should attempt to explain them. In this life, we cannot expect to even come close to understanding God’s purposes and ways.
Job 11:7
“Can you find out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limit of the Almighty?"
The Twin Towers have always had a special place in my heart. Jenny and I used to live in New York when we were young. We once worked in the South Tower at the same time. Her office was on the 80th floor. Mine was on the 91st. On certain rainy days, I got off the elevator on my floor and looked out the window only to see the sun and the clouds below. Sometimes I forget that the Towers that were a part of my everyday life are there no longer.
Bad things happen to us. Sometimes they are a result of our own fault. Other times, they are a result of our fallen world. Still other times, they have a reason unknown to us. Even though we cannot understand why bad things happen, we must continue to hold on to what we already know is true—God is good, just, and loving. Every day, everything God does is motivated by his love for us, even though we may not always feel this way. For this reason, it is right for the Psalmist to write in our Bibles: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”