Why did my father/mother die of cancer? Why did my friend get killed or commit suicide? The world is a mess and God does nothing!

   This is always one of the most difficult questions to address.  The grief and shock at such a loss is almost too much to bear at times.  We must remember that God is love and he desires that you have an ultimate relationship with Him.  Life can seem to be very cruel at times, but question is why? God created man to fellowship and dwell with Him forever.  When man chose to disobey God a set of consequences came upon man.  There is a law in effect called the law of sowing and reaping.  Sin brought on devastating consequences that only Jesus Christ can alleviate.  Man was not created to die, but death came with sin.  The creation now suffers with violence, hatred, selfishness, death, and sickness.

    Man’s free will is that very freedom that can bring much pain in the world.  Love and hate are a choice!  If we would abide by the ways God had intended us to live by we would experience well being comfort and love.  God has promised to turn all circumstances around a bad situation and make it good (Romans 8:28).  This promised is for those who love the Lord Jesus Christ.

    God has physical, natural, and spiritual laws.  If we break them we will suffer consequences.  A person who dies of cancer could have it brought on by a host of reasons.  God’s will at times allow things to take place for a greater good.  We many times fail to see the purpose. God is just, fair, and kind!

   We must realize there is an enemy of the soul call Satan (1 Peter 5:8) who is out to destroy you at all cost.  He hates God’s creation.  Sickness is one of his main devices.  The only hope we have is to fall under the umbrella and grace of God’s protection.  One may say that an individual who died was a Christian.  We are not to look at people’s lives and feel we know their hearts. A person can have a relationship with God and still walk out of that protective zone.  Sometimes it is ignorance, or even lack of faith in some area.  It could be an area of bitterness and unforgiveness in that person.  We are not to judge!!!  A very interesting discovery is that it is known that 85% of all diseases have a spiritual root cause!

The Promises are Available!
    When a person becomes a Christian, he or she has the promises of the cross available to them; they have received an inheritance that is activated by faith.  You can be a born- again Christian who is going to heaven, and not take the advantage of all the promises of God because of ignorance or lack of faith.  The whole world is presently under a curse because of original sin, and Christ has redeemed us from it.

Key Principles and Insights to Obtain Answers to Prayer for Healing:

1. Have faith in God (Mark 11:22; Hebrews 11:6).
2. Doubt and unbelief (Mark 11: 22-26).
3. Do not carry unforgiveness in your heart (Mark 11:22-26).
4. Not walking in repentance and confessing sins (Hebrews 4:15; 2 Chronicles 7:14).
5. Prayers need to be desperate and fervent. Never give up (James 5: 14-18).
6. Walking in ignorance of God's Word and His promises (Isaiah 5:13-14; Hosea 4:6).
7. Divided hearts will not birth answers (James 1:2-8).
8. No relationship with God (Mark 7:24-30).
9. Personal and family sins (Isaiah 59:1-2; Exodus 20:5).
10. Needing to see a miracle (Matthew 27:38-44).
11. Looking for signs and wonders (Romans 10:17; John 4:46-48).
12. Expecting God to heal on one’s own terms (2 Kings 5:8-14; Acts 10:34).
13. Looking to man rather than God (Jeremiah 17:5, 7, 9-10; 2 Chronicles 16:7-12).
14. Not being honest and transparent (Proverbs 16:18, 28:13; James 5:16; Psalm 51).
15. Robbing God’s tithes and offerings (Malachi 3:8-11).
16. Some people are just not saved (2 Thessalonians 2:10-11).
17. The sin of our parents (2 Samuel 12:13-14; 1 Kings 14: 1-13).
18. Sometimes the sickness is unto death (2 Chronicles 21:4, 12-20; 1 John 5:16-17).
19. Our allotted time in life is fulfilled (Psalm 90:10; Proverbs 10:27; 1 Kings 11:4-10).
20. Looking to symptoms and not to the healer (Proverbs 18:14; Ephesians 1:19-23).
21. Letting fear enter our heart (Hebrews 11:1; Romans 8:15, 14:23; John 14:1, 27).
22. Failing to get away in prayer and fasting (Matthew 17:18-21; Mark 2:19).
23. Improper care of the body (Philippians 2:25-30).
24. Not discerning the Lord’s body (1 Corinthians 11:27-31; John 14:12-15, 16:24).
25. Failing to seek the Lord (John 5:14; Matthew 12:43-45).
26. Not resisting the enemy (Isaiah 38:1-5; 1 Peter 5:8-9; James 4:7-8).
27. Just giving up (Psalm 88:9-10; Luke 18:1-8; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).
28. Rejecting healing in the atonement (1 Peter 2:24; Psalm 103:3; Isaiah 53:5).
29. Trying to bypass the penalty of the curse (Proverbs 26:2).
30. Murmuring and complaining (Numbers 12:1-3, 10-15; 1 Corinthians 10:10-11).
31. Despising and not obeying instruction (Proverbs 5:11-14; Isaiah 28:8-19).
32. Past and continued involvement with occultism (Psalm 90:12).

NOTE: These reasons given above are quite revealing and require self examination. We must seek to hear God speaking to us through the guidance of His Word.

    I realize that many have suffered serious situations and have lost loved ones and really feel they met all the criteria above, according to our definition and understanding. The Word of God is true and it doesn't change.  God is an equal opportunity provider.  So I have to conclude that the fault lies in man, and not God, when prayers are not answered.  This response may not satisfy some, but there is nothing else I can say.  This is a very difficult area to address, and I do not intend to hurt anyone who has lived through a very trying situation.