America is struggling right now. Socially, economically, politically, spiritually, it's hard to be an American. Tragedies everywhere; innocent people being shot, protests causing people to fear for their safety, children being killed in my own state. We wonder why this could happen, and have to realize that this is God's plan. "Why would God let this happen if he loves us?" He knows best, even though we like to think otherwise. He will take care of us and bring peace if we trust him. Let me tell you a story...

Horatio Spafford was a lawyer in the 1870s. He bought a house in Chicago. Pretty bad timing, because this was just before the Great Chicago Fire, which reduced his investment to rubble. In 1871, his son (who was 4 years old) died of Scarlet Fever. Two years later, he decided his family should take a vacation and go to Europe where they could hear his good friend D.L. Moody. He was held behind by work, so he went ahead and sent his family on to Europe. His wife and 4 young daughters went ahead by boat.

Halfway through the journey, tragedy struck again. The boat the Spafford family was traveling on collided with another ship, killing over 200 people, including all four of Spafford's daughters. His wife made it to Europe, but wasn't able to let him know. Unaware of what had happened, Horatio followed behind on another boat, and was told what had happened to their predecessors. What happened to his family.

The captain notified the passengers when they were over the point where the ship went down, and Spafford started to write. "When peace like a river attendeth my way. When sorrows like sea billows roll. Whatever my lot, thou has taught me to say, it is well, it is well with my soul." A man whose family had been taken from him was praising God and saying "it hurts but this is His will for me and I'm content knowing that."

Spafford would eventually find his wife and together they would have several more children, and go on to have a happy life together. God doesn't give us more than we can take. Look at Job. All of the afflictions and tragedies he went through, he still never cursed God or questioned God's plan for his life. Life gets confusing, it gets hard, it gets hopeless. But there is a method to the madness. We may not understand why these tragedies happen right now, but someday we'll get a chance to ask God himself.

Remember, even God makes sacrifices for the plan. Jesus didn't want to die. The Almighty God didn't want to sacrifice His son for us. But He did. And through our own deaths, others can find Jesus. God loves us very much and won't make us suffer needlessly. He has a plan.