Why Did God Let This Happen?
An Honest Exploration of Faith, Fairness, and the Search for Answers
We lay on the hood of the car, staring up at the stars, lost in the memories of our teenage years.
My old friend and I had spent summers at Christian youth camps, and as we laughed, it all came rushing back — the endless games of capture the flag, late nights in the cabins, and those moments of rebellion when we’d sneak off to the lake instead of going to Bible study. Back then, we stood side by side in worship, singing songs about our faith and the future we were so certain of — and we sang with all our might!
But that was then.
These days, my friend no longer calls himself a Christian.
Our conversation drifted into deeper waters when the topic of faith came up. His face darkened as he stared up at the stars, the laughter fading from his eyes. “Let me tell you why I don’t believe anymore,” he said.
He told me about a friend of his who had given up a comfortable middle-class life to become a missionary in a developing country. This young man had inspired him with his willingness to “lay down everything for the Lord.” But just days after arriving on the mission field, ready to serve the poor and spread the Gospel, he was struck by lightning during a storm…
