On September 11, 2001, at 8:38 a.m. a few men with box cutting knives smashed two jetliners filled with people into the World Trade Centers in New York. In the fall of 2005, hurricanes Katrina and Rita wreaked havoc in the Gulf region of the United States, while a massive earthquake killed thousands in Asia. Why would God allow these things to happen?

This question is certainly not a new one, but the events of recent days have caused people in America and around the world to ask it with a new sense of urgency. While no one is able to know the mind of God in a specific situation, there are some things that we do know that will help us understand this difficult question.

• We know that God loves people. The Bible is clear that God created people because he desires to enjoy a love relationship with us. "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son…" (John 3:16)

• We know that there are many things we do not understand. God has told us that there are "secret things that belong to the LORD our God…" (Deuteronomy 29:29). When Job encountered suffering in his life, he asked "Why, God?" After his conversation with God, he realized "I was talking about things I did not understand, things far too wonderful for me." (Job 42:3)

• We know that God uses suffering to help his people grow. Sometimes, what we consider suffering is actually God working in our lives to help us know him better. "We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us- they help us learn to endure." (Romans 5:3)

• We know that sin has a devastating effect on our world. Your body feels pain when it is sick or in danger. In the same way, the pain and suffering in our world is a natural result of the sickness of sin. Much of the world lives in active rebellion or passive indifference toward God. Because of this sickness, "all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time." (Romans 8:22)

• We know that much of the suffering we see can be traced to the sins of specific people. The Trade Centers fell as a direct result of the sins of a group of terrorists. Around the world, people are starving because of the sinful choices of their political leaders. As long as people have freedom of choice, they will make sinful decisions that result in pain and suffering. "What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Isn't it the whole army of evil desires at war within you? You want what you don't have, so you scheme and kill to get it." (James 4:1,2)

• We know that justice will be done. We don't know when, but we do know that the day will come when God brings justice to the earth. "The Lord isn't really slow about his promise to return, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to perish, so he is giving more time for everyone to repent. But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and everything in them will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be exposed to judgement." (2 Peter 3:9,10)

• We know that we must be ready. While there is much that we do not understand, we do understand that God is in control. It is also clear that God desires for us to spend eternity with him in perfect peace. But the sickness of sin is not limited to terrorists.