Everything happens for a reason. There is always a reason, but it isn’t always a good one. Regardless of what happens, or the reason why it happened, God is bigger than our circumstance. He has overcome the bad that happens, and the things that cause it, and works all things to good.
1. What questions has suffering raised in your mind? Have you experienced suffering that made you wonder what you did to make God punish you?
2. Have you ever been in a tough situation and had someone remark that "everything happens for a reason" in an attempt to comfort you? How did that make you feel in the moment? Was it helpful, harmful, or neither? Explain.
3. Have you ever believed that God caused something tragic in your life to happen? If so, how did that affect your faith?
4. How does believing that God micromanages every instance affect your view of Him? Conversely, how does believing that God fully allows free will but still works in all circumstances affect your view of Him?
5. Consider some of the bad things that have happened in your life - things that you've done, others have done to you, and those things that just happened, seemingly by chance. What good has God brought from them?
6. Pastor Trevor made the statement “God is in control of everything, but He isn’t the cause of everything.” How does this statement make you feel? Do you believe it? Is it helpful?
There is a reason why everything happens. Good or bad. God or man. Everything has a cause. This week, be the reason something better happened. Be the reason a kid has food to eat, the reason your family had a fun Friday night together, or the reason someone comes to church on Sunday.
