Sometimes I wonder why the righteous suffer,
And I make a mental note to ask God by and by.
But when I get to Heaven and meet Him face to face,
I know I will forget to ask, for Heaven is a perfect place-
With no memories of earthly pain.
Sometimes I wonder why the wicked prosper,
And I make a mental note to ask God by and by.
But when I get to Heaven and meet Him face to face,
I know I will forget to ask, for Heaven is a perfect place-
With no memories of earthly wrongs.
Sometimes I wonder why disasters happen,
And I make a mental note to ask God by and by.
But when I get to Heaven and meet Him face to face,
I know I will forget to ask, for Heaven is a perfect place-
With no memories of earthly woes,
And no memory of earthly wrongs,
And no memory of earthly pain,
And no memory of earth at all.
About this Song:
Do you ever wonder why a loving God would allow people to suffer–especially good people? Or why a righteous God would permit the worst of people to live the happiest and most prosperous lives? Or why God the Creator doesn’t use His powers to prevent earthquakes and tsunamis from wiping out thousands of people at a time?
People have been asking those questions for thousands of years. As Christians, we should be able to explain that God gave mankind free will because He wanted us to love Him voluntarily. Making us robots would have prevented us from being able to do that. But with free will came sin, and the effects of sin have been with us ever since.
I believe that with all my heart. But I also believe God loved us so much that–even before we were conceived–He planned a way out for us: Salvation through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. He promised us eternal life in Heaven, yes, but also strength and guidance for living the most meaningful life on earth.
But the “most meaningful life” isn’t one that’s free from pain and suffering. We are still subject to the problems brought on mankind’s sin–not just Adam and Eve’s original sin, but sin throughout the ages. So let’s not forget that God’s forgiveness doesn’t prevent us from suffering the consequences of our own mistakes–and our own sins.
Our problems sometimes aren’t even caused by our own sins, though, but by the sins of other people. Like accidents caused by drunken drivers, for example.
But does knowing and believing those things keep us from wanting to ask God why? Don’t we still want to find an answer that makes it all seem more logical–and more acceptable?
If you’re like me, you’re probably saving up a number of similar questions to ask God when you get to Heaven. I doubt we’ll get the answers there, though, because–if Heaven is truly as perfect as the Bible says–we’ll forget all the questions we have about the bad things that happen on earth.
My theory–my understanding, anyhow–is that we won’t even remember our earthly lives. And we won’t care, because eternal life in our Heavenly Father’s presence is so much better. What a wonderful thing to look forward to!
Do you truly believe that, too? How about leaving a comment to share that fact with the rest of us.
Free lead sheets (lyrics, tune, and chords) are available for many of my songs. Click on the Lead Sheets tab at the top of this page to see whether one is available for this song. Videos for many of my songs, some recorded at home and some at our church’s nursing home ministry, can be accessed at my website, RogerBruner.com, under the Listen tab.
Look for me again next Wednesday. Better still, subscribe to receive these weekly posts by email.
Best regards,
Roger
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