Where is God when bad things happen?

Where is God when bad things happen?  You only have to turn on the news to hear about a shooting at a movie theater.    More?   Just yesterday..a shooting at a temple.   People who don't think of God day to day may quickly ask "How could that happen?"..   People who do call themselves Christians might question "Where is God in that?"   
This has been a bit of a debate even at the church where we are attending.  

What can you do to answer your questions 
1. Search God's word.   2. Pray   3. Seek the insight of other believers.    

When we search God's word, we have to search with the right mind set.  If you search, make sure you don't search with the attitude that you only want to consider the verses that uphold what you already believe to be true.   Search the vastness of His word.   He says in 2 Timothy 3 that..

¹⁶ All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, ¹⁷ so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. In Hebrews 4: He tells us that.. the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.    

Do you see that?  His word IS living and active... we have to rely that HE DOES speak to us individually ... He says He does. 

So, back to the main question... Where is God when bad things happen?   Having studied this..and still studying it... I believe that these horrible events are a part of God's permissive will, meaning these events God neither purposed nor desired, but, nevertheless permits.   I believe  His "permissive will" including some things that are clearly contrary to His stated desire, such as man's sins.  Where do I see 
this in scripture?  One example is in  Jeremiah 19: 3-5 , ‘Hear the word of the Lord, O kings of Judah and people of Jerusalem. This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Listen! I am going to bring a disaster on this place that will make the ears of everyone who hears of it  tingle. ⁴ For they have forsaken me and made this a place of foreign gods ; they have burned sacrifices in it to gods that neither they nor their fathers nor the kings of Judah ever knew, and they have filled this place with the blood of the innocent. ⁵ They have built the high places of Baal to burn their sons in the fire as offerings to Baal—something I did not command or  mention, nor did it enter my mind. 


In my opinion, it is  shows that it was not His will they were doing, whether decreed or preceptive. In other words, it was not the will of God that they should do such a horrific thing.  Could God have stopped it?  Of course !    Nevertheless, the Lord permitted His people to exercise their free wills and do those things clearly contrary to His desire.  
So am I say God isn't sovereign?  NO!  He alone has the power to prevent whatever He wishes....this means that God ultimately has the final word in everything that happens. 

So, where was God during the shootings?  Where was God when two of my babies died? Where is God now as we deal with day to day pains? Where is God as we watch our youngest child deal with pain from tumors that we can't stop?    He is where He always is.... On His Throne.. in Control.   How do we trust in Him when He doesn't stop what He could?  We look at His character... 
Numbers 14:18

‘The LORD is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion. 

Nehemiah 9:17
They refused to listen and failed to remember the miracles you performed among them. They became stiff-necked and in their rebellion appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery. But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love.

Psalm 86:15
But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.

Psalm 103:8
The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.

Psalm 145:8

The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.

Joel 2:13
Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.

Focusing on His character helps you weather some very rough storms.

What is the ultimate visual of God's character?.... the GOOD News of JESUS!

Titus 3: 3-7 At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. ⁴ But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, ⁵ he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, ⁶ whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, ⁷ so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.

 

2. Pray.... Pray that God will reveal truth to you..even in grey matters.   Realize that you must have humility when approaching grey matters.  They are grey for a reason... not CLEARLY revealed in scripture.   We must all ...including myself... :)  ... realize we might be wrong..so we cannot cut our brothers and sisters down over this.  Fight for unity...focus on the gospel.

Psalm 133:1 How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!

1 Corinthians 12:12
[ Unity and Diversity in the Body ] Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ.

Ephesians 4 ² Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. ³ Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. ⁴ There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called ; ⁵ one Lord, one faith, one baptism; ⁶ one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

3. Speak..and yes..debate ..other believers.   Don't debate for the sake of being right...  wrong motive.  Debate so that you BOTH might learn from each other.  

Proverbs 27:17

¹⁷ As iron sharpens iron,
so one person sharpens another.

 

We need one another.  We need to be in His word.  We need to be in prayer... We need to understand that in this life we will never FULLY comprehend who He is..but it is a good struggle to have.   

When you can't see His hand is a situation...you CAN trust His heart!