Here’s that old question again…why do bad things happen to good people. Well, let me tell you a little story:

At this writing, it was nest-building time at our house, and we had bowed to TV logic and bought one of those “hanging tomato” plants. The TV harped on it until we just had to see what would really happen if you planted a tomato plant, upside-down.

Get the picture now. You buy a tomato plant and push it into a cylinder that’s about nine inches across and about 16 inches tall, and you hang it up, then put the plant in from the bottom, upside-down. There’s a piece of plastic with a split in it, that you push on the plant’s stem, to keep it from falling out, then you fill the cylinder with dirt and wait for bushels of tomatoes.

Well, it actually began growing, even though it kept trying to twist around to point upward, but before we could water it, I saw a bird go into the top. A couple of birds were building a nest in it. Perfect place for a next, up under the eave of the roof, overlooking our sun deck.

So what happened? We knew we’d be pouring water into that top, two or three times a week, so how would that be for a nest of eggs that would soon turn into a nest of baby birds. It was, as they say, an accident waiting to happen…a disaster for both birds and babies, before the little ones could feather and fly.

We had no choice; we put a cover over the top, tearing down their luxurious home and family plans.

Does God hate to do things to us that seem so terrible, but that must be done for our own good? Of course He does. He sees the future. Read the story of King Hezekiah in the books of Second Kings, chapter 20 and Isaiah, 38th chapter. God had Isaiah tell the king to set his house in order; that he was going to die of the illness that was upon him, so he cried and prayed, and God gave him 15 more years of life. And although God backed up time by ten degrees as a sign that His word would happen, during that time, the armies of Babylon stripped Hesakiah’s kingdom and carried his sons of to Babylon as prisoners.

And so, folks…be careful what you pray for, and thank the Lord for whatever He deems good. God…is GOD, and He is to be praised.