Why Does God Let Accidents Happen?

Why Does God Let Accidents Happen? Why Do Christians Die In Accidents? It is without a doubt that one of the most difficult aspects of following God is when we see something bad happen to people that we love. Behold, when suffering or tragedy strikes close to home and people whom we know love God and follow His ways die in a sudden, unexpected or tragic way – it can prompt us to question where God was and why He did not intervene. According to Deuteronomy 31:6, God never leaves us or forsakes us. Likewise, Psalms 46:1 makes us to understand that God is our refuge and strength, and a help in time of trouble. In addition, Psalm 23 tells us that God is our shepherd: guiding us, providing for us, and protecting us from evil. With this in mind, it’s challenging to understand why some Christians die in accidents.

What should we understand? What should we take as conclusion? On one hand is the absolute truth of God’s divine protection and provision, and on the other hand is the fact that our Christian brothers and sisters sometimes die in sudden, unexpected, and tragic ways. Truthfully speaking, life as a Christian isn’t easy. In the Scripture, Christians are not promised a life free of pain, suffering, and tragedy on Earth. As a matter of fact, Scripture states the exact opposite. Many people have struggled to explain this very concept for millennia. Throughout Job’s story, there was a misunderstanding that is expressed by Job’s friends that somehow Job deserved what was happening to him as a result of his sins – basic cause and effect. The Biblical book of Job discuses this very concept back and forth between Job, his friends, and God.

Why Does God Let Accidents Happen?

What The Scriptures Say

The Bible says much about unpleasant situations in the lives of Christians. However, do unpleasant situations like accidents come due to a person’s sins? Buddhists have taught the concept of Karma for several thousand years – that a person’s actions have long-range consequences. Good deeds lead to good karma, bad deeds lead to bad karma. In simple terms, this is seen as a cosmic bank account that credits and debits your future with each action and consequence however unrelated it might be, is a result of the balance of your account. Amazingly, Jesus Christ ran into this line of thought during His earthly ministry when two tragic situations occurred in Judea. In the first situation, a number of brethren from Galilee were killed and their blood was mingled with the sacrifices by Pontus Pilate.

In the second situation, a group of people were killed when the Tower of Siloam collapsed. Throughout Luke 13:1-5, Jesus Christ’s point to those gathered was that these people were no worse sinners than anyone else and this wasn’t punishment for a life of sin. Christ illustrated to those gathered that this fate – death – would come to all men and that they must redeem the time and repent. These sudden, unexpected, and tragic deaths were not a result of these people’s sins. Instead, Jesus Christ makes us to understand that death comes to us all, and that we must lead a Kingdom-focused life while we are here.

Things we can learn from the Temptations of Jesus Christ

When the Devil tempted Jesus Christ in Mark 4, he clearly quoted a passage from the book of Psalms, where we hear the Psalmist praising God for His protection: “No evil shall befall you, Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways. In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone” (Psalms 91:10-12). In Matthew 4, Satan twists this passage to tempt Jesus Christ to through Himself from the parapet of the Temple – to somehow prove God’s protection. Jesus Christ’s simple response to Satan was to quote Deuteronomy 6:16 and a paraphrase of Psalms 95:9 “You shall not tempt the Lord your God.”

Jesus Christ’s response to Satan was telling. Does the Lord God Almighty protect His people? Yes He does. However, when we do something unwise – like throw ourselves from a tall building in order to test God’s protection, there are no guarantees. Likewise, we can’t smoke for 50 years and question why God didn’t protect us from lung cancer. If someone gets into a car without a seatbelt and gets into a horrible accident, and we question why God didn’t protect them, the honest answer is that there are consequences to our choices and we ultimately reap what we sow (Galatians 6:7). Behold, this is a Biblical principle.

Can God protect His People?

The Lord God Almighty is able to protect His people. However, He does not always do so. This is definitely tough to swallow sometimes as a believer in God. Why didn’t God protect this person or that person in this circumstance? Why didn’t God send His angel to bump their car back on the road? Such are the questions we are likely to ask when untimely or tragic death takes any of our loved ones. We are likely to say it’s unfair because they had faith in God and served Him as a Christian. Romans 9:10-18 makes us to understand that God does as He desires and His ways are not our ways. We don’t always understand why God does as He does – why some live and others do not.

Apostle Paul tells us that God will do what He wills, and it really isn’t our place to question why (Romans 9). God will have mercy on whom He chooses to have mercy on, compassion on whom He chooses to have compassion on. This is hard to accept but we must accept. Life as a Christian isn’t easy. The Scripture does not promise us a life free of pain, suffering, and tragedy. Apostle Peter tells us not to find it strange when we fall into fiery trials (1 Peter 4:12-17). In fact, we should expect it because Satan is the god of this age (1 Corinthians 4:4). He has been given control over the earth for a time. And as such, the pain, suffering, and tragedy that we see in the world around us today is a direct result of his influence.

Our stand as Christians

It is important to understand that the people of God are not immune from the suffering, tragedy, and tears brought by Satan. However, they’ve been given authority in Christ to come out victorious. The Scripture says that we should call unto God in the times of trouble and He will rescue us. Thus, we should put our trust in Him despite the persecutions or trials or temptations or tribulations that we are facing. The Bible says that God does all things for the good of those who love Him. Trust in Him and you will live to testify His goodness.

Despite the challenges that you are facing in the Christian race, have in mind that there will be a time in the future when Satan will be put away for eternity. Jesus Christ will return, and the Kingdom of God will be established. There will be no more suffering, no more tears, no more pains, no more sickness, no more hunger, and no more death (Revelation 21). We can rest assured that this time will come because God’s promises never fail (Hebrews 6:17-20). It will be a great time of joy as we will meet our loved ones who departed in Christ.

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Prayer points against Accidents

John 10:10 tells us that the enemy doesn’t come unless to steal, kill, and destroy. Destruction in all its forms is one of the numerous plans of Satan for our lives. It is for this reason that we must stand strong in the faith as we hold to the strength, power, and authority of Jesus Christ to overcome every obstacle put on our way by Satan. We are to put on the whole armor of God and fight the good fight of fight (Ephesians 6). On several occasions David escaped death in the hands of King Saul because the protection of God was upon his life. With this in mind, let’s pray and ask for God’s protection upon our lives. Let’s ask God to have mercy on us and protect us and our loved ones from accidents.

Prayer: Lord God Almighty, locate me and my loved ones in your mercy and favor. Your word says, even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil because you are with me, your rod and staff comforts me. Lord, in all my activities, I pray that no harm shall come before me. The Scripture promises that you will go before me and level up exalted places. I pray that every accident before me or any of my loved ones is destroyed in the name of Jesus Christ. Cover me and my loved ones with the blood of Jesus Christ as you keep us safe from all Satanic attacks. I make this prayer in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. Father, thank you for hearing and answering me.

Why Does God Let Accidents Happen?

Psalm 121:7-8 – “The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.”

Exodus 22:2-3 – “If a thief is found breaking in and is struck so that he dies, there shall be no bloodguilt for him, but if the sun has risen on him, there shall be bloodguilt for him. He shall surely pay. If he has nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft.”

Romans 12:19 – Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”

John 14:26 – “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”

Romans 13:4 – “For he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.”

Acts 4:28 – “To do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.“

1 Timothy 5:8 – “But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.“

Group 1 – Why Does God Let Accidents Happen

Luke 10:27 – And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”

Matthew 5:38-39 – “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.“

Romans 8:28 – “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.“

Psalm 144:1 – “Of David. Blessed be the Lord, my rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle;“

Psalm 46:1 – “To the choirmaster. Of the Sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. A Song. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”

Psalm 139:13-14 – “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.”

Proverbs 25:26 – “Like a muddied spring or a polluted fountain is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked.”

Group 2 – Why Does God Let Accidents Happen

Luke 10:30-37 – Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. …”

Matthew 4:1-25 – “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple …“

1 Samuel 8:11 – He said, “These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen and to run before his chariots.”

Group 3 – Why Does God Let Accidents Happen

Matthew 5:1-48 – “Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. …“

Matthew 4:7 – Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

Exodus 21:24-25 – “Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.“

Genesis 9:5-6 – “And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: from every beast I will require it and from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man. “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.”

1 Timothy 5:23 – “(No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.)“

John 14:15 – “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.“

2 Timothy 3:16-17 – “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.”

Group 4 – Why Does God Let Accidents Happen

Exodus 21:22-25 – “When men strive together and hit a pregnant woman, so that her children come out, but there is no harm, the one who hit her shall surely be fined, as the woman’s husband shall impose on him, and he shall pay as the judges determine. But if there is harm, then you shall pay life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.”

Isaiah 6:9-10 – And he said, “Go, and say to this people: “‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’ Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”

Deuteronomy 28:47-48 – “Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart, because of the abundance of all things, therefore you shall serve your enemies whom the Lord will send against you, in hunger and thirst, in nakedness, and lacking everything. And he will put a yoke of iron on your neck until he has destroyed you.”

2 Samuel 4:4 – “Jonathan, the son of Saul, had a son who was crippled in his feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel, and his nurse took him up and fled, and as she fled in her haste, he fell and became lame. And his name was Mephibosheth.”

Group 5 – Why Does God Let Accidents Happen

Psalm 19:1-6 – “To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun, which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy. …“

Exodus 23:7 – “Keep far from a false charge, and do not kill the innocent and righteous, for I will not acquit the wicked.”

Luke 13:4-5 – “Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”

Nehemiah 4:17-18 – “Who were building on the wall. Those who carried burdens were loaded in such a way that each labored on the work with one hand and held his weapon with the other. And each of the builders had his sword strapped at his side while he built. The man who sounded the trumpet was beside me.”

Group 6 – Why Does God Let Accidents Happen

Deuteronomy 28:1-68 – “And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God. Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. ...”

Exodus 22:1-31 – “If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and kills it or sells it, he shall repay five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep. If a thief is found breaking in and is struck so that he dies, there shall be no bloodguilt for him, but if the sun has risen on him, there shall be bloodguilt for him. He shall surely pay. If he has nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft. If the stolen beast is found alive in his possession, whether it is an ox or a donkey or a sheep, he shall pay double. “If a man causes a field or vineyard to be grazed over, or lets his beast loose and it feeds in another man’s field, he shall make restitution from the best in his own field and in his own vineyard. ...”

Group 7 – Why Does God Let Accidents Happen

Genesis 4:1-26 – “Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord.” And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground. In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell. …“

John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.“

Exodus 20:1-26 – “And God spoke all these words, saying, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. “You shall have no other gods before me. “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, ...”

1 John 1:9 – “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Group 8 – Why Does God Let Accidents Happen

Acts 9:1-43 – “But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. And falling to the ground he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” …“

Matthew 15:1-39 – Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat.” He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or his mother, “What you would have gained from me is given to God,” …

Luke 16:10 – “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.”

Group 9 – Why Does God Let Accidents Happen

Leviticus 26:1-46 – “You shall not make idols for yourselves or erect an image or pillar, and you shall not set up a figured stone in your land to bow down to it, for I am the Lord your God. You shall keep my Sabbaths and reverence my sanctuary: I am the Lord. “If you walk in my statutes and observe my commandments and do them, then I will give you your rains in their season, and the land shall yield its increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. Your threshing shall last to the time of the grape harvest, and the grape harvest shall last to the time for sowing. And you shall eat your bread to the full and dwell in your land securely. …”

2 Chronicles 17:1-19 – “Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his place and strengthened himself against Israel. He placed forces in all the fortified cities of Judah and set garrisons in the land of Judah, and in the cities of Ephraim that Asa his father had captured. The Lord was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the earlier ways of his father David. He did not seek the Baals, but sought the God of his father and walked in his commandments, and not according to the practices of Israel. Therefore the Lord established the kingdom in his hand. And all Judah brought tribute to Jehoshaphat, and he had great riches and honor. …“