BGEA: Do you believe everything that happens to us happens for some higher purpose?

Do you believe everything that happens to us was meant to happen, and that it happens for some higher purpose? — J.K.

This is actually a very difficult question to answer, and that's because the answer is both "yes"—and "no"! Let me explain.

On one hand, God is sovereign, and when we are truly seeking to follow Him, He goes before us and leads us—even when we aren't aware of it. The Bible says, "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord; and he delighteth in his way" (Psalm 37:23, KJV). The best-known Psalm in the Bible declares, "He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake" (Psalm 23:3).

On the other hand, God has given us the ability to make decisions—and when we make wrong decisions, we can't say that God was guiding us. Recently, I got a letter from a woman who was married but said she had fallen in love with a man who'd recently been transferred to her department at work. "I believe God meant it to happen," she wrote—but she is wrong. God never meant for her to break her marriage vows, and she's following Satan's lies instead.

Is this a paradox or contradiction? No, not really. God loves us, and He wants us to follow His path in life because He knows it is best for us. But when we ignore Him or deliberately disobey Him, we cannot blame Him for the results. The key is to commit our lives to Christ, and seek to follow Him every day, for that is the path to true happiness. Have you given your life to Him?

2 Comments

Sean says 1.3.2011, 10:23 p.m.

Since the fall of Adam and Eve in Eden, man has separated himself from God. We were created in God's image and made to be in a deep, close, and loving relationship with God. But the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil has enabled man seek his independence, to try live apart from God, or to act like a god. Jesus was given to man to be the gateway to a relationship with God once more. We have the freedom to choose to be with God, or to go it alone. Our love for God is meaningless if it is forced, so God gives us the freedom to choose. When a person is not in a right relationship with God through Jesus, they are in peril of making poor choices and easily deceived by Satan. By sharing life with God, through Jesus Christ we have the Holy Spirit to guide us, and the Word to learn from. Then we will make Godly choices.

Jeremy says 9.10.2010, 08:48 a.m.

This explanation is everything someone who is posing the question would want. God gives us free will. He can and will bless someone who follows Him. That is not to say that all Christians will be blessed with mansions and fancy cars. The blessings of God run deeper than just material things. I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. However, if I get myself or someone else into trouble, that is not God's fault, and God did not lead me to commit that act. God gives every man "Free Will". Anyone can choose to follow God, put him as their #1 priorty over money and temporal things. Anyone can also choose to ignore God, but if they do, they should not blame him for when they find themselves in a hole that they dug. I praise God for when I am blessed and for the times when I feel defeated. But that is growth. Living a Christian life like any other WILL bring challenges. The question is do you seek God's love and the hope that he gives you. Or do you think you can acheive your will without ever consulting God? Do you live for His Will or your own.