Why Does God? And Where Is God?

Today’s reading (John 11) gives some insight to the questions people often ask about the evil in the world.

Like people often ask, “WHY does God allow bad things to happen?” And I think this story suggests: That’s probably going to have to stay a mystery for now. You can try to make sense of it, and there IS sense in it, but you likely won’t be able to figure out the sense in it.

And people often ask, “WHERE is God when bad things happen? When I can’t handle it, and all I can do is cry, where is God?” And this story tells us. God is crying with you. That’s the beauty of “Jesus wept.” We have a God who hates evil, who knows pain, and who can and will do something about it. But, in the meantime, God cries with you.