Welcome to the world

When accidents happen, it’s okay to call them accidents—even the Bible does. When babies die and whole populations starve and cocaine junkies blow away frightened convenience-store clerks, God weeps for his world. All these things are true. But the Bible insists on another truth simultaneously. All during these sins, typhoons, illnesses, mishaps, snake bites, crib deaths, famines, and gas-station robberies—God hasn’t taken his hand off the wheel for thirty seconds. His plans are being accomplished despite, yes, even through, these tragedies. They are tragedies. He considers them so. He loathes the wickedness and misery and destruction itself—but he has determined to steer what he hates to accomplish what he loves.

“How can this possibly be?” someone asks.

Welcome to the world of finite humans pondering an infinite God.

(Joni Ereckson Tada and Steve Estes, When God Weeps, p. 69)