Someone said that if they heard that phrase one more time, their head would explode. Sometimes, it does sound like something someone would say when they don’t know what else to say, especially when the thing that happens is unplanned or unpleasant. This doesn’t keep it from being true, though.
And, that doesn’t mean that we will know or understand the reason when something unplanned or unpleasant happens. We might never know on this side of heaven. God knows, though. Things happen for a reason, because our God is a God of certainty and order, not a God of unreasonableness or chaos. Things happen for a reason according to His plan, not ours. This is where pride can be a stumbling block for us, if we believe that we can control all the outcomes by our behavior and our choices. Not possible. We aren’t that good and all-knowing. Everything we choose to do, we choose with imperfect knowledge of the outcome. We can pray that we are making the right choices and trust that God will make things turn out for the glory of His will and that is about the extent of our “control.”
To believe that everything happens for a reason, doesn’t negate free-will, either. We are free to choose and free to make decisions that we hope will impact our lives for good and not harm. We are especially free to choose those actions which are for the good of our souls and our salvation. We are not free to think that we are always in control of every outcome in our life.
I remember someone telling me, if I wanted to make God laugh, to make plans. Do I still plan? Of course. Do I still make decisions? Of course. Do I get upset when the outcome is not what I expected? A little. As I get older, though, I’m getting better at knowing that things happen for a reason.
Dr. Linda L. Powell 