1. By Becky Kew. Available for download at www.gospelhall.orgwww.gospelhall.org

2. Have you ever wondered why bad things happen? Have you ever experienced an accident or death in your family? Maybe you have been angry at another person or even at God because sadness has entered your life.

3. You may think: “If God is so big and so strong why did this happen?”

4. Does God know and care about me?

5. Nothing is a surprise to God. He created the whole world and he knows what is happening everywhere. He is very interested in you and your family and cares about what you feel and think. Look up: Jer. 31:3

7. Although evil things happen in this world, God is completely good. He is in control of everything even when it doesn’t seem like it. He is holy, perfect and pure. You can trust God even when everything around you is going wrong. Psalm 46:1

9. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO TRUST? BELIEVE!

10. ` So Then: WHY?

11. In the beginning, everything was perfect…..

12. It all started when the first two people chose to disobey God.

13. Bad things started happening in nature- things like hurricanes, tornadoes, and earthquakes. Pain and death came into the world because of sin.

14. Because of sin, people do things that hurt others, like hating, fighting and killing. WE CHOOSE TO SIN WE DO NOT HAVE POWER OVER IT.

16. A disobedient nature has been passed down to every person on the earth.

17. Right down to you and me. Rom. 5:12

18. Our sins have separated us from God. Isa. 64:6 Isa. 59:2 Rom. 6:23

20. People do not believe God, even today.

21. God is hurt and sad also. He sees that we seek to live our lives without him. We were made to follow him and know his blessings. People have chosen to try and find peace on their own. They turn to anything and everything, except God. He wants us to return to him. To hear him! To follow him so that he can bless us in a way that we can’t do for ourselves.

22. How could God allow the things that occur today to happen?

23. Sometimes God lets bad things happen that we do not understand. Some of these things are the result of sin. ********************************** God has the power to stop people from doing sinful things but He has given them freedom to make choices-even bad choices. *********************************** God can make good things come out of terrible, scary things. People often start caring more for one another and they can start to think more about God and what He means to them.

24. GOD WANTS US TO REALIZE HOW MUCH WE NEED HIM, HE WANTS US TO REALIZE HOW MUCH WE NEED HIS SON: JESUS CHRIST AS SAVIOR.

25. He deserves control of your life, because he made you! Sometimes difficult things cause us to think about eternity and about God. God wants your attention! He wants you to be ready to meet him. He wants you to spend eternity with him. He wants to give you a full life here on earth! When things are going good, we do not realize our need of him.

26. After death it is to late to turn to the Lord.

28. God wants to give you a gift!

31. He knows how you feel, he lost his only son, those who he created, killed his only son. God allowed it to happen, for us. So that we could have hope if you or I would only turn from our sin, to him.

32. We were not made to live this life alone, only with other people. We need someone bigger than ourselves! We need a Savior and a Lord. God wants to have a relationship with you, so that he can carry you through this life, in his strength. He wants you to have eternal life!

33. WHICH SIDE OF THE CROSS ARE YOU ON?