Where Is God When Life Seems Unfair?
Where is God when life feels unfair, and we’re left with questions we may never be able to answer? Even in unimaginable loss, we can trust the God who sees the entire picture when we can see only a small piece.
Our family was on a relaxing vacation, enjoying some much-needed rest after directing a large Vacation Bible School and Mega Sports Camp. Every summer, we offer this free event to our community. After pouring into hundreds of children, my family headed to the ocean, blessed by the generosity of a dear friend, to relax for a couple of days.
What we thought would be a peaceful, relaxing trip quickly turned into a heartbreaking nightmare when we received the devastating news that some very close friends of ours had passed away in an airplane accident.
This family was very dear to us. They were sweet, precious friends we had been fortunate enough to vacation with in the past. They were not only close friends of ours, but also had friends and fans all over the world.
The Nelons were well known in the Southern Gospel music industry. They had been nominated for and received multiple Dove Awards, along with many other honors. They were incredible songwriters and singers.
Kelly Nelon had been one of my favorite singers ever since I first heard her voice. Her daughter Amber had an anointed voice that could touch the deepest parts of people’s hearts. Autumn has the voice of an angel. Jason was an incredibly talented music arranger and songwriter, and he was also a very close friend of my husband, Chris.
Jason and Chris would often call each other. During one of their last conversations, Jason told Chris he had written a song tied to Chris and the area where we live. The heartbreaking part was that the CD hadn't been fully released before they passed away, so Chris never had the chance to tell Jason how much he loved the song.
Kelly’s youngest daughter, Autumn, was expecting her first child. The family decided that it would be best for Autumn and her husband to take a commercial flight rather than travel on the private plane with the rest of the family. They were all traveling to meet with the Gaithers before embarking on a Southern Gospel music cruise, where they would be ministering to many people.
After Autumn’s plane landed and she was standing at baggage claim, she received the unimaginable news that her entire immediate family had passed away.
Life can seem completely unfair at times. This was one of those moments when we may never fully understand why.
Kelly never got to meet her little grandson, Rhett. Amber never got the opportunity to meet and spoil her sister’s first baby. Autumn lost her immediate family in the blink of an eye. The world lost many shining lights that day, and hearts were broken across the globe.
When We Don’t Understand Why
When life feels this unfair, it’s natural to ask, “Where is God in this?” There are things in this world we may never fully understand. We may never know why God allowed something to unfold the way it did, because we can see only a small piece of what He sees.
We can ask God, “Why did You take such amazing people away? They were doing Your work, Lord.” But in the same breath, we have to remember that His ways are higher than ours. Ecclesiastes 3:16-22 reminds us that we live in a world where injustice exists and where we cannot always explain or understand everything.
We cannot comprehend or begin to understand all of His plans. Yet, even in the aftermath of unimaginable tragedy, we can see that God continues to work.
God has blessed Autumn. He has taken a young woman who once struggled with stage fright and given her an incredible ministry that reaches hearts and touches the lives of so many people. I know her mom and sister would be so extremely proud of her.
God can take something devastating and bring beauty and purpose from the ashes. Isaiah 61:3 says, “The Lord has sent me...to provide for those who mourn in Zion; to give them a crown of beauty instead of ashes.”
Her little baby, Rhett, was born on her mother’s birthday. To me, this is a small reminder that God is present and continues to work in all things. Today, Autumn has an amazing little boy who is wild, rambunctious, full of life, and growing quickly. She has a thriving ministry, and God uses her each day to touch others' lives.
Trusting God When Life Feels Unfair
It is important to remember that we live in a broken world where sin abounds. It would be easy to get caught in the comparison trap, wondering why it seems like thieves and murderers run free while a family devoted to doing the work of the Lord was taken.
But we must remember that we serve a loving God who cares deeply for us—even when we walk through seasons of sorrow, trials, heartbreak, and moments when life simply doesn’t seem fair.
We may not always understand what happens in this life.
We may not always get the answers we are looking for.
But we can hold tightly to the promise that this world is not our final home.
Romans 8:38-39 says, “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Perhaps knowing that one day there will be no more pain, no more suffering, no more injustice, and no more tears makes heaven feel that much sweeter. Until then, when life feels unfair and the questions seem too great, we can keep trusting the One who sees the entire picture—even when we can see only a small piece of it.
