Do you remember hearing about the 35W freeway bridge collapse in Minneapolis and the loss of life and injury that occurred in that tragedy? On Aug. 4, 2007, Fox News reported:

    Minnesota officials say they don’t yet know how many cars were traveling the span during the collapse. But judging by the length of road, the lanes that were open, time of day and widely accepted traffic formulas, Northwestern University engineering professor Joseph Schofer estimated that 100 to 150 vehicles were on the bridge.

    On Thursday, authorities cautioned that the number of missing could rise, in part because there was no way to know how many victims were in the water. Some people without family in the area may not have been reported missing, Police Lt. Amelia Huffman said.

    The missing included a 23-year-old pregnant woman and her 2-year-old daughter, who was in the back seat of the family’s car when the bridge crumbled.

We have seen in the past, and continue to see, a great many tragedies in our world—earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, hurricanes and, of course, the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. The list could continue ad infinitum. During tragedies like these, we often see innocent peoples’ lives snuffed out in a matter of minutes or seconds. Many times the focus is put upon the children and how tragic it is for families who lose a child in an untimely death.

These types of tragedies will inevitably engender the following questions: “Where was God?” “Why didn’t God protect us?” “If there is a God, why does He allow such horrible accidents?”

For many people, it comes down to a very basic question: “Does God exist?” People like to take personal credit for any successes they have. If something goes wrong, however, they are quick to blame God.

Do you believe that God protects those who call upon Him? Every year in our church, we have a special ceremony to ask God to bless the little children. And nearly every time we have an opening or closing prayer at a church service, we ask for God’s protection. Do we believe He will protect us? Of course! Does He? Absolutely! Does He sometimes allow even those who pray for His protection to experience an accident or even a tragedy? Yes. Have you ever been in an automobile/motorcycle—or any kind of accident? Do you believe that even in that accident God protected you—saved your life? Do you know of anyone who has died in an accident?

I think most have experienced an accident of some sort. If you’ve been around for a long time, you surely have heard of those who believe that if it were not for God, they would have had much worse things happen. How many people on that Minnesota bridge fell more than 60 feet and suffered little or no physical damage? How many surfaced from their cars after plunging headlong into the river?

So, how should a Christian approach this subject? What if someone on the job, a relative or an acquaintance asks you, “How could a loving God allow this to happen?” What would you say? Would you be ready to give an answer?

If we look at God’s Word, we see that there are some reasons that accidents and tragedies occur in this world. We also need to understand this subject—not only for our own peace of mind, but to help others understand, if the situation ever arises.

Consider three principles that can help us keep tragedy and disaster in perspective.

We are all flesh and blood!

First, to some extent what we’re talking about is physical inevitability. Man is physical. We’re all temporary! Look at Hebrews 9:27: “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.” Another verse that illustrates this point is 1 Corinthians 15:50 where Paul writes that “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God.”

God never intended that mankind would live forever in the flesh. You cannot find any scripture to support such an idea. In spite of mankind trying to perpetuate his physical existence by every means possible—be it technology, medicines, surgeries or cryogenics—the truth is that we deteriorate and wear out! Of course, some of us wear out faster than others due to genes, lifestyle, exercise, diet, accidents or some other factor.

If we look at this subject with the realization that we are physical and at some point in the future we will expire, we will be able to understand why God allows death. Let’s face it, we can’t turn ourselves over and see our expiration date. God has power over death through the resurrection, and all who die will live again, in their own order as shown in 1 Corinthians 15:23: “But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming.” Part of this understanding involves knowing God’s plan (revealed through His annual Holy Days) and knowing that all mankind will have the opportunity to have life eternal at some point in the future.

Why are there tragedies and accidents in the world today?

Second, we need to consider who is behind tragedy and disaster. Is God responsible? “We know that…the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one” (1 John 5:19). This is not God’s world. YET! Satan is the destroyer (Abaddon and Apollyon in Hebrew and Greek, Revelation 9:11), the deceiver (Revelation 12:9), the father of murders (John 8:44). He persecutes the Church and tries to devour the sheep of God like a lion (1 Peter 5:8). We must understand that God allows Satan to have some power over “natural disasters” on this earth (for now)—but he and his minions will be vanquished at the coming of Jesus Christ (2 Thessalonians 2:8 and Revelation 20:2). Though Satan rules this society, he is still limited in what he is allowed to do.

In this world, we learn to trust God and endure—to avoid and resist Satan at all cost (1 Peter 5:9-10). We must turn to God in the face of disasters and according to His will—He will protect us!

The principle of cause and effect

Many times personal catastrophes are the result of going against that which is right (transgression against spiritual laws is sinning). What about an event where a 2-year-old was hit by a car? Lots of questions can be asked about a situation like this: Was he taught properly to stay out of the street? Where was his mother or guardian? Maybe it was the driver’s fault—was the driver speeding or impaired? These same sorts of questions can be extended to any accident.

Think back to the Minnesota bridge collapse. If a bridge is allowed to deteriorate into a state of disrepair, and you put 150 cars on it during rush hour and it falls down, someone must have overlooked something. Is there an engineering design or principle that would have prevented its collapse?

Can you even imagine mankind doing anything he wanted and knowing that there would never be any penalty or consequence? What kind of a miserable, topsy-turvy world would that be? Would we all be automatons doing what comes naturally and having God watching every move we made? We’d never get burned when we touched fire, never die if we jumped off a building—the list could just go on and on.

If we see negative effects in our lives, we should evaluate them to determine if they are the result of inappropriate actions. Where necessary and possible, we should be able to make necessary adjustments (for instance, repentance which includes changing from sinning to obeying God). Change the cause, so you get the desired effect!

We are free moral agents and can choose to do right or wrong. God told the nation of Israel that He wanted them to be a model nation for all other nations and to choose life (see Deuteronomy 30:11-19).

Ultimately God will give each person an opportunity to choose His way. We have been given the opportunity to choose that way now. Very few today understand what the right choices are, but someday the whole world will come to understand! But even though we have that opportunity, sometimes it’s hard to make the right choice. If we balance on the edge of a cliff over a canyon or a river, there’s a chance that we will fall. If you choose to do dangerous things or choose a dangerous activity to participate in, God will sometimes allow you to suffer the penalty.

We can avoid many tragedies in this life if we choose God’s way over the way of this world. You will be blessed and protected, but sometimes even God’s people are victims of:

Time and chance

Ecclesiastes 9:10-11: “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going. I returned, and saw under the sun that—the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to men of understanding, nor favor to men of skill; but time and chance happen to them all.”

“Time and chance” doesn’t mean that we roll the dice and gamble every time we step out of our houses. As Christians, we pray each day for God’s blessings, guidance, deliverance and protection. We live our lives with confidence and faith in God. Notice what Satan said to God: “Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land” (Job 1:10).

“Time and chance” just means that sometimes things happen that we never expected. God is carefully guiding and molding those He has called into His Church, so what happens to them will not ever be simply time and chance. But when we don’t see what God is doing behind the scenes, it often seems to be time and chance. The point for everyone to remember is, things will often happen that you don’t expect.

Circumstances occur over time, accidents happen, cars drive on the wrong side of the road, bridges fall down; there are hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, violence, terrorism, etc. We need to be on guard and vigilant in this world, and of course, we need to do our part to do what’s right.

In Luke 13:1-5 Jesus used an example similar to the Minnesota bridge collapse. He explained that those who died when a tower fell on them didn’t deserve to perish because they were worse than others. He used their tragic experience with “time and chance” to teach that when a person repents and commits to following Jesus, their lives are not left to arbitrary tragedy. Even if they fall victim to what seems to be a random circumstance, they can be assured that God is aware and is watching over them.

We need to also realize that at times God will allow us to encounter a trial to test our faith.

Trials are a test of faith

God promises to never test us beyond what we can endure (1 Corinthians 10:13), which is one of the most encouraging verses in the Bible for a Christian. Combine this with Hebrews 11:6 (“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him”) and we see that our faith must be unwavering—knowing that our future is not based on the physical. There are several scriptures about trials. This is because God allows some trials and gives us other trials! It’s part of the life of a Christian to suffer in this world. We can learn valuable lessons from enduring, and we’re admonished by Christ to endure to the end.

Ultimately God will deliver us from even the most difficult and severe circumstances (see Psalm 34:17-22). For some this will be when we enter His Kingdom! It may not necessarily happen in this life!

Being content with what you have (see Philippians 4:11-13) can also apply to trials. Sometimes when we go through very difficult trials, we can be discouraged and we may even ask God to remove a trial. When we experience a trial, God is working specifically in the situation so we might learn the most we can in this life and develop patience and overcome! He knows what we need, when we need it and the difficulty we can endure!

Conclusion

God is our protector, but we must do our part. And we must live life with the understanding that we were not meant to live forever in the flesh. God does protect us according to His will (see Psalm 91:1-16). According to His will, this means “in our best interest” (even though we may not be able to see it at the time)! He wants us to make it into His Kingdom and be part of His eternal family. He knows how to protect us and how to work in our lives.

God wants us to be in good health and to prosper in this life, and that’s good! But that is not all there is to life. It’s true that we have a great future ahead of us, and we need to focus on that future, not on the physical. What happens in this life cannot even be compared to the things that God has prepared for those who love Him (1 Corinthians 2:9).

Enjoy each other. While times are good, kiss your mate, hug and kiss your kids! Praise and thank God for your blessings. Ask God to protect you, according to His will, and only give you trials that you can endure!

And in every circumstance remember the promise in Hebrews 13:5-6: “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you, nor forsake you.’ So we may boldly say: ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”

For more information on this subject, please request our free booklets Why Does God Allow Suffering? and God’s Holy Day Plan: The Promise of Hope for All Mankind.